*** The remarkable scene was played out in the early hours of Monday morning, as a deal brokered between extremist rebels and the Syrian government saw the release of 13 nuns captured in December in exchange for the release of 150 female prisoners and four children held by the government. The 13 nuns and three maids crossed the border in the dark, in black cars, flying the black al-Qa’ida flag and driven by masked al-Qa’ida rebels that had held them captive for nearly three months. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a watchdog based in the UK, declared Jabhat al-Nusra, an al-Qa’ida affiliate in Syria, was behind the abduction. The group has been blamed for some of the worst atrocities of the Syrian civil war – including the deliberate targeting of civilians. But according to the nuns, they were treated well by their captors. Talking to assembled reporters at the border the nuns said they were treated well, with one nun even describing her captors as “ kind and sweet”. Mother Pelagia Sayaf, head of Mar Thekla monastery thanked the Syrian government, who she said worked with the Qatari government for their release. “We weren’t harassed at all,” she said. “No one forced us to remove our crosses.” In a video released in December, in which the nuns had already indicated good treatment, they were seen without their religious symbols. It transpired yesterday that removing the crosses was a voluntary decision as it “seemed like the right thing to do”. *** Nizo
Posted on: Wed, 12 Mar 2014 18:43:07 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015