God bless the endangered and embattled Christian minorities in Syria and throughout the Middle East! To protect the remaining Christians in the region, the Syriac Union Party created a Christian militia, called Sutoro, in early 2013.... The 1,000-member force mans checkpoints and patrols neighborhoods. We are protecting what has been ours for hundreds of years. We are the original owners of the land, said one militia member, who would only give his first name, Aboud, also for safety concerns. Despite a centuries-long tradition as Eastern Christians, a large chunk of the Syriac Christian community is steadily assimilating into an emerging Kurdish-run autonomous region. People dont consider Christians as part of the Syrian population, said Ashur Abu Sarkun, general commander of Sutoro. Its very important that we stay connected to the land. People dont want Christians around ... We welcome an autonomous region where Christians make decisions with the Kurds and Arabs. Sutoro often sends members to the front to fight alongside its military wing, the Syriac Military Council, which is run by Swiss fighter, Johan Cosar, who has Syriac roots. Cosar, who was a member of the Swiss Army for five years, came to Syria more than two years ago initially with the intention of working as a journalist. Hes the general commander of the military council working not only to defeat the Islamic State, but to help protect Syriac Christians rights. Our roots are here, he said on the front at Tel Hamis in northeastern Syria....
Posted on: Sun, 21 Dec 2014 15:14:52 +0000
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