TURKEY FACILITATES EVACUATION OF ARMENIANS FROM WARZONE
Daily Sabah, Turkey
April 9 2014
Daily Sabah traveled to Syria’s Kasab to observe the war on the ground
and discovered the opposition which evacuated the Armenians with the
Turkish Foreign Ministery’s cooperation neither ruined churches nor
occupied any houses in the town
by Yusuf Selman Ä°nanc
KASAB, Syria — Kasab, which is located across the border from
Yayladagı and predominantly Armenian, has been in the spotlight for
the last two weeks after clashes broke out between Syrian forces and
the opposition.
Black propaganda against Turkey was spread in the form of allegations
that Turkey was part of the killing and illegal seizure of the goods
and houses of the Armenians in Kasab. Against this backdrop, Daily
Sabah visited the town two days ago to investigate the allegations of
massacres of Armenians and destroyed churches, graveyards and houses.
When Daily Sabah arrived, the region was completely devastated by the
Assad’s long-haul mortar attacks on the hills around the town. As
the Syrian opposition has control points in the region, the Syrian
regime’s continuous attacks turned the town into a battleground.
Churches and graveyards not ruined
Under difficult circumstances and in between constant attacks, the
team visited the churches in the town and Armenian graveyards. There
were three churches in Kasab, and although they were not completely in
ruins, the effects of the civil war were apparent on their structure.
Some parts were damaged by the regime’s bombing campaigns, but the
goods and holy items of the Christian people had not been harmed.
It was also observed that the Armenian graveyards in the town were
not deliberately damaged or ruined.
Syrian opposition fighters interviewed by Daily Sabah said they have
no reason to damage the graveyards and they only aimed to keep Kasab
in order to gain the upper hand against the Syrian regime.
They added that there is no hostility against Christians living in
the region. Some of the opposition forces expressed dismay that all
Syrian opposition fighters were labeled radicals hostile to Christians.
“We apologize to Armenians”
The residents of Kasab vacated the town because of the intensity of
the fighting, leaving only the fighters. Both the Armenian and Arab
residents fled to less-affected areas or Turkey.
Eighteen of these Armenians fled to Turkey a couple days ago and were
met by officials of the district governorate at the Yayladagı border.
They were first placed in a regional teachers’ lodge and then moved
to the only ethnically Armenian village in Turkey, Vakıflı, in the
Samandag district of the southeastern city of Hatay.
“Firstly, we apologize to the Armenians because we entered their
church without permission and disturbed them because of the ongoing
war,” said Feeda Majnoun, a senior official with the Free Syria Army
(FSA) and an organizer of the Armenians’ transfer to Turkey. “We are
really sorry that Kasab turned into a warzone and the Armenians had
to leave their homes.”
After expressing his regret about the effect of the war on the Armenian
population, he emphasized it was necessary in order to push forward
with the fight against the Syrian regime. He also pushed back against
accusations of wanton destruction.
“Secondly, there are allegations that we ruined Kasab’s historic
churches, but we see Kasab as a place that needs to be protected
because of the historical richness here that belongs to the Syrian
people,” Majnoun said. “We do not want destruction in this town as much
as the Armenians who reside here. Thirdly, protecting this place is a
fundamental duty of all Syrians, regardless of ethnicity or religion.”
He called on the world to intervene to help the people being devastated
by Syrian forces. “[Syrian President Bashar] Assad is destroying
not only Kasab, but also all of Syria, including Aleppo, Damascus,
Idlib and Homs,” he said.
Syrian opposition evacuated Armenians
Majnoun pointed out that Muslims and Christians had been living
together in harmony in Kasab. When asked where the Armenians went,
he said, “After the military operations, it became impossible to
stay in the region. The electricity is gone, public transport is not
operating, there are continuous bomb attacks. That’s why the youth of
the region fled to the southern region of Latakia while the elders
stayed here. We told the elders that they may stay here as long as
they want and we will try to meet their requirements to the utmost.”
After a while, even those who chose to remain eventually opted to
leave. These people were evacuated by opposition forces to Turkey or
Latakia, he said. His forces developed a detailed plan to ensure the
safety of the evacuees.
Speaking about how the opposition took the Armenians to Turkey,
Majnoun said the opposition first gathered the Armenians in a church
to explain the plan. Working with local opposition forces who agreed
with the plan, the Syrian opposition contacted the Turkish Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and explained the Armenians wished to come to Turkey.
The Turkish officials responded that Turkey will gladly accept the
Armenians.
Majnoun said that the Syrian opposition forces took the Armenians
to a secure place near the border with Turkey. “After staying there
nearly 10 days, we handed over the Armenians to Turkish officials on
the Yayladagı border,” explained Majnoun. “The Armenians underwent
medical examinations immediately and their needs were met by the
Turkish officials.”
According to Majnoun, of the two Armenians who said they wished to
remain in Kasab, one is now in hospital after a bomb attack. His
condition is stable.
Armenians’ goods will not be seized
Regarding the question of what will happen if Armenians want to return
to the town of Kasab, Majnoun said that these are their own properties
and that they can return whenever they want. The opposition said
that they use Kasab only for military purposes, such as repulsing
the Syrian regime, and have the upper hand in the ongoing war. They
added that they have no problem with Armenians, and it is definitely
forbidden in Islam to hurt someone for being a non-Muslim. They said,
“I hope the war will be over as soon as possible, and everyone will
go back to their hometown.”
Denying allegations that Turkey has a negative attitude toward
Armenians, Majnoun stated that Turkey helps those in need regardless
of ethnic or religion-based discrimination. He also indicated that
they have never supported the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
(ISIL), which is active in some regions in Syria and known for its
harsh attitudes toward non-Muslims. He added, “The tragedy in our
country [Syria] will not come to an end as long as the pressure on
the Assad regime and its collaborators responsible for the massacre
of people is not increased.”
He continued by saying, “The international community should apply
more pressure on the Assad regime. Armenians here are aggrieved, and
Syrians from different sects and ethnic origins all around Syria are
also aggrieved. Assad is attacking aggressively because he has lost
control, harming not only Syria but also the entire region.
International and regional actors should take action.”
Compelling escape from Kasab
After finalizing the Daily Sabah team’s observations in Kasab, we
headed to the village of Vakıflı to visit Armenians who took shelter
in Turkey with the help of the opposition. When we arrived in the
village, we received information from village chief Berc Kartun about
the Armenians. Kartun said that prior to the two sisters who came 10
days ago, 18 Armenians, including seven females arrived in the village
and that the Armenians were welcomed by Yayladagı Governor Turan
Yılmaz at the border crossing and transferred first to the teachers’
lodge and then to the village of Vakıflı when their medical checks
were over. Kartun stated that nearly 2,000 Armenians headed toward
the Latakia region, taking care to stay out of the battlefield, while
the elders stayed in the village. Highlighting that the opposition do
not have a negative attitude toward Armenians, Kartun said that the
Armenians were transferred to this secure place without any exposure
to maltreatment and that they only suffered from difficulties that
come with the harsh war conditions for nearly 10 days.
Hoping the war comes to an end quickly, villagers stated that they
would help their guests as much as they can if the war does not end
soon. Praising the Turkish government, Kartun said the government has
met all the requirements of the Armenians, including food, medical
care and other necessary items.
He continued by saying that the governorate also continuously looks
after the Armenians and does not allow the villagers to shoulder all
the burden on their own. He further pointed out that along with the
Armenians, there was an Alawite individual who was transferred to
Turkey by the opposition, but officials transferred this Alawite to
another location for security reasons.
“We lost everything that we have”
In an interview with the Armenians who came to Vakıflı village,
their statements supported those of the opposition.
Gathering and cooking in the church’s garden, the Armenians welcomed
the Daily Sabah team. They asked, “Why is our country [Syria] in this
situation?” and said that they wanted to return when the war is over.
Defining Kasab as a summerhouse, the Armenians said that they generally
stayed in Aleppo in winter, but stayed in Kasab in summer.
They indicated that they were content with their life and could not
understand how their town turned into a battlefield.
Even though they are stricken by the ongoing war, the Armenians said
the opposition did not treat them badly, but they were rather caring.
They had to leave Kasab
The Armenians said that the Assad regime could take the Armenians while
leaving Kasab, but they would have to walk many kilometers. They said
that when they told the regime that their health would prevent them
from walking such a distance, the regime did not look after them and
were quick to leave the town. They added that the opposition that
came after the Assad regime searched their homes for guns, and then
left. They added that first they wanted to stay in Kasab, but when the
effects of the war started to become more visible with the blackout,
the cessation of water and public transport and the closing down of
markets, they realized that they had no choice but to leave.
For the Daily Sabah team, after this trying and life-threatening
trip, we found out that the Syrian opposition and Turkey had no
adverse attitude toward the Armenians to make their lives harder,
as was indicated by certain media outlets the last two weeks. Quite
the contrary, the Armenians were transferred to Turkey under secure
conditions with the coordination of Turkey and the opposition.
In an interview with Yayladagı Governor Yılmaz, he said Turkey
would never leave those who are in need out in the cold regardless
of their religion, ethnic origin and sect.
Status in Kasab
When we arrived in Kasab, there were bombings and shootings in the
region. We overcame serious danger during the shootings. Two bombs fell
near us twice, and we were targeted by guns. The opposition members
that we interviewed stated that the strife continued intensively
in the south, where the battle zone is located. They said that the
close quarter battle has been going on between the Syrian regime and
the opposition.
Highlighting the uncertainty of the situation, they said the region
where the conflict is going on is quite critical, and if the opposition
manages to have the upper hand in the region, they will go further
toward Latakia and drive Assad into a corner. While Kasab was under
the control of the Syrian regime until the last two weeks, the Free
Syrian Army (FSA) carried out operations to take control.