Christians form Militias in Syria

Syrian Christians live in fear of the insane Islamists.

"Everybody is fighting everybody" 
Christian communities in Aleppo have taken up arms and formed their own militias

• "They (Muslims) are shouting 'the Alawites to the graves and the Christians to Beirut."

The Christian community has tried to avoid taking sides in the civil war. In Aleppo, it recruited vigilantes from the Boy Scout movement to protect churches, but as the war moved into the city and spread across its suburbs they have begun to accept weapons from the Syrian army and joined forces with Armenian groups to repel opposition guerrillas reports the UK Telegraph.

"Everybody is fighting everybody," said George, an Armenian Christian from the city. "The Armenians are fighting because they believe the FSA are sent by their Turkish oppressors to attack them, the Christians want to defend their neighbourhoods, Shabiha regime militia are there to kill and rape, the army is fighting the FSA, and the [Kurdish militant group] PKK have their own militia too."

For the past six weeks up to 150 Christian and Armenian fighters have been fighting to prevent Free Syrian Army rebels from entering Christian heartland areas of Aleppo.

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Last month the Syrian army claimed a 'victory' in removing FSA fighters from the historic Christian quarter of Jdeidah. But Christian militia fighters told the Daily Telegraph it was they who had first attacked the FSA there.

"The FSA were hiding in Farhat Square in Jdeideh. The Church committees stormed in and cleansed the area. Then the Syrian army joined us. They claimed the victory on State television," said George, who like many Christian refugees is too scared to give his full name. "The rebels were threatening the churches."

The area, defined by its boutique shops, narrow cobbled streets and the spires and cupolas of the Maronite, Orthodox and Armenian churches, had over the weeks become infiltrated with sniper positions and checkpoints, residents said.


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"FSA snipers were on the rooftops and they were attacking the Maronite church and Armenian residents there," said a former clergyman calling himself John, now in Beirut, who said he had witnessed the battle.

Residents of the city told The Telegraph that the city's minorities feared that they would suffer the same fate as Christians in Iraq, who were heavily targeted by the sectarian violence that erupted after the 2003 war.

"They are shouting 'the Alawites to the graves and the Christians to Beirut," said an Armenian mother of four who recently fled the city – a claim also made by several other Christian refugees.

(UK Telegraph)