Many in the West heard of the severe atrocities the jihadists of the
Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) committed against the religious
minorities of the Fertile Crescent, especially Christians and Yazidis.
Several Western governments later classified these atrocities—which
included massacres, crucifixion, torture, and sex slavery—as genocides.
Today, however, few are unaware that these same genocidal atrocities
have resumed against the very same religious minorities who most
suffered at the hands of ISIS in northern Syria—this time by another
Muslim force with caliphal aspirations: Turkey, under the leadership of
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Between November 20-25, 2022, Turkey launched 2,500 attacks—air,
mortar, drone, artillery, etc.—several miles deep into Syria’s northern
border. Governed by the Autonomous Administration of North and East
Syria (AANES), this also happens to be where most of the formerly
persecuted religious minorities, Christians, Yazidis, and Kurds, live.
During late November’s so-called Operation Claw Sword, Turkey killed
48 people, wounded dozens, and destroyed or damaged 2,300 civilian homes
and buildings, including a children’s hospital, a health center, an
electrical power station, essential oil and gas processing facilities,
critical grain towers, and a major bakery.
As Save the Persecuted Christians
noted, “Turkey appears focused on depriving the civilian population of
food, heat, and water as winter sets in. It even dropped bombs on tent
camps housing survivors of its earlier invasions,” as well as helped
ISIS terrorists escape prison.
Lethal Turkish attacks have continued, prompting Genocide Watch to issue a Genocide Emergency Alert on December 7, 2022:
These military attacks by Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s regime are part of a
wider Turkish policy of annihilation of the Kurdish and Assyrian
[Christian] people in northern Syria and Iraq. Turkey has committed war
crimes and crimes against humanity, including bombing, shelling,
abduction, torture, and extrajudicial killings. The attacks are part of
Turkey’s genocidal policies towards Kurds, Christians, and Ezidis.
Unlike the atrocities committed by ISIS in the same region, however,
those now being committed by Turkey have received zero attention by
Western “mainstream media”—not least because Turkey is a member of NATO,
and therefore, apparently, shielded from criticism.
Fortunately, others are not being silent. In a recent webinar titled, “Is it Genocide? Turkey Targets Syria’s Christians, Yazidis & Kurds,” an expert panel hosted by Save the Persecuted Christians discussed
and offered evidence against what they all referred to as Turkey’s
“genocidal” actions against Christians, Yazidis, Kurds, and other
ethno-religious minorities of north Syria, as well as how the US and
international community should respond.
