KESSAB, Syria–The Armenian populated villages of Kessab, Syria were the target of three days of brutal cross-border attacks from Turkey by al-Qaeda affiliated armed bands, which have cost 80 lives and forced the civilian population of the area to flee to neighboring hills, with many seeking safe-haven in the nearby cities of Latakia and Basit.
In a written statement, the Armenian National Committee—International, condemned the attacks and Turkey’s active role in aiding and abetting extremist groups in their targeted attacks against the Christian and minority populations in Syria. “For months, we have warned the international community of the imminent threat posed by extremist foreign fighters against the Christian minority population in Syria,” noted the ANC-I statement. “These vicious and unprompted attacks against the Armenian-populated town and villages of Kessab are the latest examples of this violence, actively encouraged by neighboring Turkey. We call upon all states with any influence in the Syrian conflict to use all available means to stop these attacks against the peaceful civilian population of Kessab, to allow them to return to their homes in safety and security. In the last one hundred years, this is the third time that the Armenians are being forced to leave Kessab and in all three cases, Turkey is the aggressor or on the side of the aggressors.”
According to news reports, the armed incursion began on Friday, March 21, 2014, at 5:45a.m., with rebels associated with Al-Qaeda’s al-Nusra Front, Sham al-Islam and Ansar al-Sham crossing the Turkish border and attacking the Armenian civilian population of Kessab. The attackers immediately seized two guard posts overlooking Kessab, including a strategic hill known as Observatory 45 and later took over the border crossing point with Turkey. Snipers targeted the civilian population and launched mortar attacks on the town and the surrounding villages.
According to eyewitness accounts, the attackers crossed the Turkish border with Syria openly passing through Turkish military barracks. According to Turkish media reports, the attackers carried their injured back to Turkey for treatment in the town of Yayladagi.
Some 670 Armenian families, the majority of the population of Kessab, were evacuated by the local Armenian community leadership to safer areas in neighboring Basit and Latakia. Ten to fifteen families with relations too elderly to move were either unable to leave or chose to stay in their homes.
On Saturday, March 22, Syrian troops launched a counteroffensive in an attempt to regain the border crossing point, eye-witnesses and state media reported. However, on Sunday, March 23, the extremist groups once again entered the town of Kessab, took the remaining Armenian families hostage, desecrated the town’s three Armenian churches, pillaging local residences and occupying the town and surrounding villages.
Located in the northwestern corner of Syria, near the border with Turkey, Kessab had, until very recently evaded major battles in the Syrian conflict. The local Armenian population had increased in recently years with the city serving as safe-haven for those fleeing from the war-torn cities of Yacubiye, Rakka and Aleppo.
Assad Regime Protests Turkey’s Involvement to UN
The latest onslaught on Kessab has prompted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government to protest to the United Nations that Turkey was providing cover to rebels crossing the border from its territory. In a message to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Damascus demanded that the Security Council denounce what it called a terrorist attack on Syrian territory.
Syrian state television made reference to the fighting in a breaking news alert, saying the army was “tackling attempts by terrorist gangs to infiltrate from Turkish territory and attack border crossings in northern Latakia province.”
Turkey Downs Syrian Fighter Jet
On March 23, Turkey said its fighter jets shot down a Syrian jet after it crossed into Turkish airspace.
Syria denied that its jet had violated Turkish airspace and, according to Agence France-Presse, accused Turkey of “a flagrant act of aggression that is evidence of Erdoğan’s support for terrorist groups.” The MIG-23 jets were reportedly flying a support mission to assist ground forces repelling extremist fighters which had infiltrated from Turkey into Kessab.
“The international community should restrain Turkey to stop this and similar anti-Armenian operations and in general it antagonistic policy against Armenia and the Armenian people,” concludes the ANC International’s statement.
Its time for Syria to invite the Russian army into Syria. Its time for the world to see clearly that Genocidal Turkey continues its intent to annihilate the remnants of the Genocide survivors. It’s time for The Armenian government, the protector of ALL Armenians to intervene. If they can do this to Kessab then they will attempt the same to Ainjar.
Miyayn zenkov gah hayotz pergoutyoun.
If this was a Jewish village CNN FOX ABC NBC and CBS would be broadcasting day and night about it. Three churches desecrated and 670 families uprooted and 15 families taken hostage.
Where are you President Obama and McCaine. Is this why you support the rebels. Where is the Christian World. Where is Christian Europe. Today Kessab, tomorrow Vienna, Paris and London.
If it was against Jews, several Turkish towns would have already been wiped out, Turkey would be charged with holocaust and Erdogan sent to war crimes trial, and Obama would have already signed sanctions and Turkey would never see the end of it.
That’s how pathetic we are as a people.
Jews have money, and they donate big time, We Armenians sholud donate more
That seems to be the case with every Jewish related topic. Our media purposefully DOES NOT report on any real world events and keeps everyone in the dark. Ask any white American on the street if they even have a clue as to what’s going on in Syria. You can shout it from the rooftops, but nobody really gives a shit. If Israel gets involved in any skirmish you wouldn’t be able to change to a channel without coverage. Grade-A Bullshit!
Again bloody turks killing us how long we going to take this barbaros tribes who calling thei self a nation.
Armenia’s public support of Russia on the Crimean issue has boomeranged and hit us hard in Kessab.
This was bound to happen. In order to restrain Putin, the West is undoubtedly going to get more aggressive in Syria. They’re going to make sure that Putin pays dearly for thumbing his nose to the West. The battle for taking over the Tartus naval base has most likely begun.
We get hit 3 ways.
1. We’re in they way of the fighting in Alawite districts
2. We get punished for supporting Assad
3. We get punished for supporting Russia (Assad’s sponsor)
Right!I agree!
Russia is all that stands in the way of the annihilation of Armenia by Turkey. Armenia has to support Russia.
Armenians from Ottoman Empire should take care of themselves.
Russia is of no help for them nor is the ex-communist Armenia.
Current independant Armenia doesn’t consider Armenians from Turkey and Arab countries as their citizens so it doesn’t help them as it should. Its leadership will always only follow the orders coming from Moscow and Moscow only cares about itself.
Armenians in Syria may be hopeless so they talk about Russia as a protective entity but Russia won’t be, as in the past, of any loyalty towards them. Russia is volatile and they will be forgotten.
I wish they could take care better of them and kill some turks and muslims as soon as possible, but don’t dream nor build any plan or theory with the northern ally !
These bastard Islamic Terrorists, which are coming from Turkey, are now cleansing Kessab of its mainly Armenian Christian and Alawite inhabitants. They have taken many Christian Families hostage and desecrated several Armenian Churches. Shame on the West for not saying a word on this. Shame on them. I though they represented “Judeo-Christian” values and so forth. No. Seemingly, as cowards, they just keep their mouths shut as Christians are cleansed by this animals. The UN and most importantly the West needs to come together and condemn these Terrorists and Turkey for this.
The West keeps their mouth shut when this happens, but if some civilian is killed by Assad, they condemn him on all fronts. I’m really disappointed. I’m sure McCain and his crew are celebrating this.
shame on your own gangsterregim my friend.!Shame on Sergik,Suren Khatcatrian,Ashot , Galust,Hovik , etc etc. These “men” are reach thanks to Karabakh war.
WHERE ARE YOU KNOW PRESIDENT OBAMA?
The question is:where are you president Sargsian?
So the reports are something like 80 Syrian citizens killed in Kessab and another Armenian community has been destroyed. This necessitates we take appropriate responses. There are many things to be done, but I believe that one of the most important is to LEARN from what happened. Those segments of the Armenian community, in Armenia or in the western diaspora, need to wake up from our dreams and false realities and recognize that Armenia’s geostrategic position remains as vulnerable today as it did in 1915. The western powers, through their control of almost all of the world’s mass media and news organizations, have deluded our people that fairy tales like “democracy”, “gay rights” and “civil society (whatever meaning one can attach to this term)” will magically raise Armenia’s living standards and economic status to the same level that the west has achieved through centuries of colonialism, mercantilism, genocide on continental scales in North America, South America, Australia, and parts of Africa and the Middle East. They have Armenians working against our own interests because we have allowed ourselves to fall for their lies, whether it is the “activist” in Yerevan who is weakening the Armenian government and setting the stage for the collapse of the Republic of Armenia, or the diasporan Armenian blindly supporting causes that are against Armenian interests such as NATO wars of aggression and destruction against governments who have not yet succumbed to the Anglo-American-Zionist-Turkish-Azeri alliance like Serbia, Syria, Iran and Russia (how many gung-ho Americans of Armenian decent were disgracefully agitating in favor of the Ukraine-NATO-Turkey-Zionist-Tatar aggressors in Crimea).
Turning to Syria directly, the massacre in Armenian Kessab should prove to even the stupidest Armenian that our Turkish enemies HAVE NOT CHANGED. 1071 or 1915 or 2014, a Turk will remain a Turk and his goal will be to DESTROY any and every Armenian community which is not able to protect itself. Unlike the image of Turkey as a vacation resort that some Armenians have fallen for over the years, Turkey today remains a major ally of the United States, the European Union and Israel. There is no way to ignore or get around this ugly truth. The ONLY reason that the massacre was limited to Kessab in Syria and not the whole Republics of Armenia and Artsakh is because of the presence of Russian troops in Armenia and the Russian-armed Armenian military. Imagine what these barbarians would do in Armenia if the Russians left tomorrow? The sad fact of the matter is that without Russia’s presence, the South Caucasus is one bad event away from returning to an Islamist-Turkic cesspool. And brave and noble as they may be, Armenia’s 70,000-man military with its 17 warplanes does not stand a chance at holding out against a sustained Turco-Azeri attack from both east and west for long.
And what about Russia, who actively sells weapons to Azerbaijan and keeps both countries in a continuous state of war so that the demand for weaponry and militarization in the Caucasus remains high, setting a favorable environment for Moscow’s arms exports. Moscow creates a problem and offers itself as a solution. Stop with your diluted and lackadaisical understanding of Moscow’s role in the world. Russia will destroy Armenia as fast as, if not sooner than, the Turks will if it needs to. Stop being a sheep.
The Russian military in Armenia is the only reason Turkey has not yet invaded and destroyed Armenia. The West will do NOTHING to stop Turkey from invading Armenia. Remember Cyprus? Armenians needs to get rid of their Western-centric thinking. Armenia only has once chance to survive, and it’s with Russia.
Sarkis, well said.
Let’s drop the notion that Europe will protect us, Europe is dying economically and dying socially, culturally, spiritually and demographically. We are a decade away from seeing Sharia law and Muslim and Turkish majorities in Europe. And despite having decades of “democracy” and “freedom” and economic prosperity, Armenia today actually has a HIGHER BIRTH RATE than most EU countries. The only growth in population in Europe comes from immigration of Turks, Muslims, Africans and Asians… Europe refused to recognize the Armenian Genocide and the independence of Artsakh when they could have decades ago, now Europe has merged with the Turks and their interests will be forever the same.
In all this darkness, true Armenian nationalists should be proud that Armenia’s government has protected Armenia’s population from suffering the same fate as Kessab through the prudent policies of forging a strategic alliance with Russia. The CSTO is Armenia’s military salvation, and the Customs Union is quickly proving to be Armenia’s economic salvation. NATO, the US, the EU, Turkey, American-backed Sunni terrorists in Syria, and last but not least Israel and the Jews will remain committed to destroying Armenia, as well as the whole of traditional-European-Christian civilizations around the world.
You? An Armenian nationalist? Please. You sound like you’re writing these comments right from the halls of the Kremlin before anything else.
You sound just like a paid lobbyist for the US agenda.
I don’t understand why the Armenian Government doesn’t send in Special Forces to protect there people . Kessab is the last of the old Armenian city of Kilikia and losing that is like losing all hope of a Great motherland. Majority of people in Kessab is Armenians and Turkey well Erdogan that son of a bitch is causing a lot of problems . I say send in special forces and wipe these Al-Qaeda scums off the face of the earth .
The comment was: it is “third country” and we are not allowed to interfere…the comment I hate!
to zareh
i agree with you but you forgot to add new york to the cites you mentioned
The World is Busy looking for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
while The Turks are taking advantage of Killing more Armenians and getting away with it.
Who cares about Kessab ???? Happy April 15 th Brothers and Sisters this will mark the Anniversary of Genocide with more killing , next will be Latakia, and ON and ON…….
may be we should convert to Judaism and become the untouchables.
I generally don’t speak out on such matters but when I see such attocities ( at http://aratta.wordpress.com/2014/03/16/syrias-christians-face-new-threat-convert-submit-to-islam-or-face-sword/ ) – well that’s it… I have to speak my mind. What’s happening to Christians in the Middle East in absolutely unconscionable. These Islamic terrorist are an extreme menace to civilization. If then can’t tolerate people of other religions then they deserve to be incarcerated and subjected to a life of living Hell – end of story. So bottom line is that if it’s 30 percent or 40 percent or any percent, if you’re a terrorist you go to prison and you likely never get out. That’s the end of you. And just to make sure that such prisons are not a fun place to be, work these terrorist to the bone from morning to night so they when they get a bare few hours to rest they can contemplate just how miserable their life has become. Further, they should have to listen non-stop to how wrong their views are and how likely that instead of going to Paradise they are going to a horrible Hell.
The Turkish leaders and people need to be held accountable for their brutality and violence towards the Armenians. It has been far too long Turkey has been able to glorify their criminal acts and get away with murder. The Turkish people are a disgrace to humanity. Any person born Turkish should be locked up and put away from this world and into isolation as they are descendents from murderers, rapists, barbarians and sick minded individuals with absolutely no purpose in this world except to confront the very evil they represent.
Syria should retaliate by supporting and sending fighters into Turkey
Why not Armenian forces ?Should Syria protect us?We have our own state.Or not?
Turkey shows it’s true face once again but the world will soon see that Turks will never change they are still the two faced garbage they were 100 years ago. The war of mother armenia will one day come and Armenians around the world like myself are ready because Ararat Ani and all our lands will be regained does not matter how many years go by this generation or the next we will take back everything because turkey is the next to have its revolution like Egypt and Syria it will be a mess and when that happens it’s borders will be open for the fedayis bloodline to avenge our forefathers. Wait and see I promise you this is what awaits he sick man of Europe.
they occupy europe from germany they have 10-15 child like arabs in france
Another genocide is happening to us again in the 21st century. I really feel sorry for Armenians. We don’t have billions of dollars to support our cause or to make a difference.
We need To retaliate. Don’t wait for anyone else. The Guller Islamic indoctrination schools in the US and elsewhere would be a good target. Turkish ships are sitting ducks. But targeting innoccent people is counter productive. I reccommend a “Cyber war against the Islamo fascists threatening us all. Publish names addresses, pictures of the Islamic terrorists that participated in the raid. A website should be established coordinating all the information. The site should be somewhere like the Transnistria. Crimea or Abchazia; where Turkish agents have little effect.
Don’t wait for an organization to sanction this. They have enough to do and don’t Need the legal complications. They should have a role later when asked to intervene. Establish three man ” Gomides”, and start gathering information. Submit your info to the website. E-mail your info under your “Gomide” name. Never reveal your true name or adress. This would be a good start. Even if we never get to them; They and their families will have to uproot and hide. Not only from the Armenians, but also from the American authorities and their drones.
The strong one wins !”Syria must call russians to protect a few hundre armenians”.It is patetic to tink so.We have our own country:Armenia,the christian Armenia.God will help us.
The irony is that these evil beasts are supported and financed by US and EU, they are well aware what is going on and call them “rebels”
My father survived the Turks genocide of the Armenians in 1915. If he were still alive it would be hard to tell him that the America that he loved is aiding and abetting those that are directly supporting the jihadis in Syria that are raping and killing Armenians and other Orthodox Christians in Syria.
America supported the fascist/nazioids in Croatia (in the 1990’s) and in Ukraine. America supports jihadis in Bosnia, Kosovo, Libya, Chechnya, Egypt (Muslim Brotherhood), and Syria. America fed a Christian apocalypse in Iraq and did NOTHING to help them.
At least Russia is trying to help Christians in the region; America only helps Muslims to rebuild Mosques. America go to hell as you are beyond EVIL.
This situation requires level headiness and looking back at the events that occurred which led to this situation. When Armenia signed the contract with Russia Ukrain gave a warning that Armenia will be isolated which was published on all news websites, also Armenian Americans were filmed fighting in Syria for the President and they were labeled terrorists. Now after the statement and the vedio futage of the gentleman the attacks took place in Kessab. There for by looking at the recent past you can see the present and sadly the future looks very bleak based on all the decisions and alliances that have been forged. My heart goes out to all the innocent souls that didn’t have anything to do with the political decision that were made but are currently paying the price .
Who what when where? Hello your dealing with a history of aggression from Islamic extremist and all of a sudden you believe a couple if events forged an isolation? Your kidding me right? Ask your grandparents what happen in 1915 and prior to that. We get rapped, desecrated and murdered for just being in the way. Have you heard about Kessab in Euro or US mainstream media? Slightly … some …. nothing… ? That’s exactly how it’s been always … no matter what… We are isolated and no one cares which side we are on…. Obama doesn’t care! Media doesn’t care! We are just lambs for slaughter… Sad. So what are you going to do to change it?
Disgrace and lies,, my grand mother was in the genocide, all her siblings & were slaughtered! When will our country stand for the truth!!!!! This will never end if the blindfold remains on. Horrified!!!!!!!!
. I was in the Republic of Armenia and it broke my heart to see the faces my people who were worn from communism , poverty and abandoned by the world for decades!! Time for recovery and reckoning. All about money now, 325 billion in assets, land, churches, buildings confiscated never to be returned!
disgusting& disgraceful
I pray for their souls
I agree with you!!