Armenian church in Aleppo bombed
Beginning at 4:30 p.m. local time on Monday, rockets rained on the Nor Kyugh region of Aleppo damaging the Holy Trinity, also known as Zvartnots, Armenian Catholic Church, destroying its dome, Asbarez reports. The attacks also caused damage to residential buildings and homes around the church. A young man and woman, a mother and a child were injured. No fatalities have been confirmed. One of the rockets fell on a house owned by an Armenia family, causing a massive fire. Armenian volunteer units rushed to scene and tried containing the fire, before fire fighters arrived. This latest round of attacks has caused considerable damage, not to mention the toll it has taken on the residents’ psychological condition. This attack came days after armed gunmen with links to Al-Qaeda stormed the Armenian-populated town of Kessab from the Turkish border, forcing the evacuation of more than 600 families to nearby Latakia. Earlier this week, the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) called on President Obama and Congress to press Turkey to stop facilitating the attacks by extremist foreign fighters on the northwestern Syrian town of Kessab, whose predominantly civilian Armenian population was forced to evacuate to avoid slaughter earlier this weekend. “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. On the morning of March 21st, extremist foreign fighters launched a vicious attack on Kessab civilians, forcing them to flee neighboring Latakia and Bassit,” said ANCA.
