ARMENIAN HOMES IN KESSAB LOOTED, OCCUPIED
Tuesday, March 25th, 2014
Smoke rises from the town center in Kessab after days of attacks by
extremist militants crossing over from Turkey
Two thousand Kessab Armenians find safety in Latakia; International
and Local organizations providing support
LATAKIA, Syria–A delegation of priests from the Catholicosate of
Cilicia who had visited Latakia to assess the needs of Kessab Armenians
and express solidarity returned to Antelias after the Sunday Badarak,
the Armenian Weekly reports.
According to the delegation, the local Armenian community, the
International Red Cross, and the Red Crescent are providing assistance
to those who have sought refuge in the city. An estimated 2,000 Kessab
Armenians are currently in Latakia.
“Many Armenian families are staying with relatives and friends, while
others have sought refuge in the Armenian Church and the church’s
hall,” said Syrian Armenian community activist Nerses Sarkissian
during a phone interview with Weekly editor Khatchig Mouradian.
“The Aleppo Armenian Prelacy as well as the Red Crescent are providing
relief and assistance to these families in Latakia,” Sarkissian added.
Armenian residences occupied, looted The Armenian Revolutionary
Federation (ARF) reported on a number of eye-witness accounts of
looting and occupation of Armenian homes, stores, and churches left
behind in Kessab.
Kessab Armenians who phoned their neighbors’ and relatives’ homes
from Latakia discovered that their houses are already occupied by
new residents, namely rebel fighters.
Two men, Minas Soghomonian and Joseph Kilaghbian, who called their own
homes were greeted by militants who said, “We are enjoying your food.”
Ani Boymushakian called the Armenian Evangelical Church office.
Intruders told her, “Now we are in control of this place, we just
got here and we will do with it as we please.” She hung up as the
fighters continued making threats.
Another displaced Kessab resident, Paren Hovsepian, called and was
told by the intruders, in Turkish, that he had nice furniture.
Other witnesses have reported abductions and looting.
Dikranoohi Manjikian, an elderly, ill woman, who due to her medical
conditions and inability to move was one of the very few not evacuated,
said gunmen forcefully entered her apartment and harassed her verbally
and physically, demanding gold and other valuables. After pleading
with them that she had no such valuables, the gunmen searched the
apartment and took whatever they were able to and left. She gave her
account through a phone call.
Steve Shekhookian was on his motorcycle fleeing the area of fighting
near Duzaghaj (Al-Shajara) in Kessab when he was stopped by gunmen
and forced off of his motorcycle. He said the gunman who stopped him
was bearded and didn’t speak Arabic. When he asked to be let free and
told them that he is Armenian, the gunman brandished a large knife
and threatened to slit his throat. Shekhookian was then handcuffed
to a metal frame on the window of a nearby building. Meanwhile as the
fighting intensified, the gunmen fled or hid and left him behind. He
was able to break his handcuffs and fled the area into nearby bushes
and made his way back off-road to safer areas where others were
being evacuated.
Militants entered from Turkey The armed incursion began on Friday,
March 21, 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
recent years with the city serving as safe-haven for those fleeing
from the war-torn cities of Yacubiye, Rakka and Aleppo.
http://asbarez.com/121079/armenian-homes-in-kessab-looted-occupied/