{"id":68401,"date":"2021-11-28T20:00:55","date_gmt":"2021-11-28T20:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/?p=68401"},"modified":"2021-11-28T20:03:54","modified_gmt":"2021-11-28T20:03:54","slug":"turkish-bombardment-prevents-assyrians-in-syrias-northeast-back-homes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/68401\/","title":{"rendered":"Turkish bombardment prevents Assyrians in Syria\u2019s northeast back homes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

TEL TAMR, Syria (North Press) \u2013<\/strong> The elderly Assyrian Maryam Yaqo is finding it very difficult to live away from her village in the countryside of Tel Tamr, north of Hasakah, northeastern Syria, after she was displaced due to the frequent Turkish bombardment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About a month and a half ago, the 77-year-old woman fled her village of Tel Jum’a, two kilometers north of the town where she lives, to live with a neighbor in Tel Tamr town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In October, four Assyrian villages were emptied due to the frequent Turkish bombardment on the northern and eastern countryside of Tel Tamr.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The three-week intense bombardment resulted in the destruction of civilian homes and the outage of some vital, service and educational facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yaqo recalls the moments when she left her house as the shells fell: “We woke up to the sound of shelling in the village. Dozens of shrapnel fell in front of my house. I was forced to flee towards Tal Tamr.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I cannot wait for any longer to go back my home. We feel comfortable in our homes, and we can do whatever we want,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Longing for return  <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Yaqo expresses her longing for her village and her neighbors, “We are eager to return to our homes.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She feels sorry that her village has been devoid of residents, after it was populated with about 3,500 people before the Syrian war. Only 50 people left, who have recently fled due to the Turkish bombing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Tel Jum’a, calm looms over the large neighborhoods. The statue of Virgin Mary is still erected at the entrance to the village, while the doors are closed, and the effects of the shells can be seen on the school and the cemetery next to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier, the official spokesman for the Khabur Guards, Nabil Warde stated that Turkey posed a great threat to the stability and security of the area surrounding the Khabur River in northeastern Syria, and called on the UN and guarantor countries to protect the vulnerable religious minority.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warde described the current situation of the Assyrian villages as very unfortunate as a result of the Turkish bombing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Khabur Guards is a military formation which was found in 2013 to protect the Assyrian community in northeast Syria. It is affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guests in our own house <\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The countryside of Tel Tamr includes 33 Assyrian villages<\/a> on the banks of the Khabur River, most of which are now empty after being subjected to a massive attack by ISIS in February 2015 which kidnapped more than 220 people, before releasing them in exchange for ransoms through negotiations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The number of Assyrians in the the Jazira Region before the outbreak of the Syrian war amounted to more than 15,000, of whom only about 1,000 remain, who are currently distributed in the cities of Qamishli and Hasakah and their countryside, according to local Assyrian estimates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the village where there were a few people, the 86-year-old Khoshaba Ibrahim meets with one of the youths of his village who came to check on his house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“During the bombing, I was in the street, a shell fell meters from me, only a few people remained in the village,” Ibrahim said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elderly man does not hide his fears of frequent bombing from time to time, but he confirms that he will never lock the door of his house and will not leave his village.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He describes the condition of his villagers now as guests in their own homes, “they come to check on their property during the day and leave in the evening for fear of bombing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Erdogan claims Islam, but the practices of his affiliated armed factions here on the outskirts of our villages are far from all religions.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reporting by Dilsoz Youssef<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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