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TURKEY PAYS $5000 FOR EACH KILLED ARMENIAN
An old friend of mine visited Armenia a few days ago on personal
business. He had lived in Armenia for several years but he returned to
his family after the war broke out in Syria. He told interesting things
about the life of Armenians of Aleppo as a witness and participant of
the self-defense of the Armenian neighborhood. Here is what he told me.
The Armenians mostly live in 3-4 districts Aleppo. 80% of Aleppo
Armenians are in Nor Gyukh, others in Suleymanie side by side with
Arab Christians, as well as in Vilaner and Sheik Taha where they live
with Arab Christians and Muslims. As of recently, Armenian districts
are quiet, the free opposition army of Syria wants to enter the
Armenian neighborhoods but the Armenians, the army (government forces)
resist. Once they took advantage for 2 or 3 days but were pushed back.
The neighborhood [Nor Gyukh] is often shelled because government troops
are there. People, Armenian churches, schools, buildings are destroyed.
Armenians fight within the government force and the army leadership
is satisfied with the Armenians. Armenians fear that Islamists may
come to power, like in Egypt, and the Armenian community and cultural
heritage will be destroyed.
Turkey is a participant of all this which wants to perpetrate the
second genocide in Aleppo. Once I went to bring food and fuel from
Aleppo with another guy. We were warned to leave Aleppo with the ID
card of a Christian or Muslim Arab. We found a Christian Arab who was
a little like me, and I took his ID. The car was stopped and checked
by the rebels several times on the way to the neighboring villages of
Aleppo. They asked us if there are army soldiers or Armenians in the
car. We certainly said no. Being asked the same question for several
times we asked why they ask this question. One of the rebels said
Turkey promised to pay 1000 dollars for each killed army soldier and
5000 dollars for each killed Armenian.
The Armenian district is the target of snipers therefore some central
streets are closed. The street of the high school is closed. Karen
Epeh, Sahakyan Schools, St Gregory Illuminator Church are closed. The
main street where most shops are is closed. Sometimes the army is
able to catch snipers. The first was an Austrian girl, a former
biathlonist. She said she was paid 50,000 dollars a month plus a fee
for each victim. Before she was caught she had killed an Armenian
young man.
A few days ago rebels intervened in the Kurdish neighborhood
called Sheik Makhsud which is beside the Armenian neighborhood and
is situated higher. First the Kurds defended their neighborhoods,
the government promised to help them to defend themselves but Kurds
were split by controversies and some of them agreed to yield. Some
twenty days ago they yielded to the rebels in return for some money,
which exposed the Armenian neighborhood to risk. The army felt that
this neighborhood could not be yielded so it intervened and took the
Kurdish neighborhood.
There are also funny incidents. We were on duty one night, and two guys
were walking towards our neighborhood shooting every now and then. The
Armenians wounded them. The gunmen (who were from Afghanistan) asked
if we could see them. They said we were given some substance and told
that we it would make us invisible. A few days later we caught someone
else with a sword who also said he had been given some medicine which
would make him invisible.
There are lots of foreigners among the rebels. Mostly Afghans and
Chechens are sent to the front line, there are also Tunisians,
Europeans, Filipinos, Yemeni, Saudis, Nigerians.
The rebels are keen on the Armenian districts because it will give
them a big advantage. Besides, they believe that the government forces
will not raze Armenian buildings to the ground. On the contrary, the
government tells the residents of different districts to keep their
districts and promises to help them in every way. The government
warns a day before the surrender to leave their homes and deploys
artillery and air force to destroy entire districts controlled by
the rebels. If the rebels are able take a district, the government
considers it betrayal by residents of the district.
What allows for hope is that the Armenians have united at this hard
time independent from their party affiliation. Armenians abroad
send money, food, so Armenians always have food for a month. Half
of Armenians of Aleppo have left the country. Most of them moved to
Armenia and Lebanon hoping to return as soon as everything ends. Most
of them prefer to stay, noting that Syria is their home, and they will
live both good days and hard days and will not abandon their homes.
Mushegh Ghahriyan 16:35 23/04/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/index.php/eng/0/politics/view/29702
An old friend of mine visited Armenia a few days ago on personal
business. He had lived in Armenia for several years but he returned to
his family after the war broke out in Syria. He told interesting things
about the life of Armenians of Aleppo as a witness and participant of
the self-defense of the Armenian neighborhood. Here is what he told me.
The Armenians mostly live in 3-4 districts Aleppo. 80% of Aleppo
Armenians are in Nor Gyukh, others in Suleymanie side by side with
Arab Christians, as well as in Vilaner and Sheik Taha where they live
with Arab Christians and Muslims. As of recently, Armenian districts
are quiet, the free opposition army of Syria wants to enter the
Armenian neighborhoods but the Armenians, the army (government forces)
resist. Once they took advantage for 2 or 3 days but were pushed back.
The neighborhood [Nor Gyukh] is often shelled because government troops
are there. People, Armenian churches, schools, buildings are destroyed.
Armenians fight within the government force and the army leadership
is satisfied with the Armenians. Armenians fear that Islamists may
come to power, like in Egypt, and the Armenian community and cultural
heritage will be destroyed.
Turkey is a participant of all this which wants to perpetrate the
second genocide in Aleppo. Once I went to bring food and fuel from
Aleppo with another guy. We were warned to leave Aleppo with the ID
card of a Christian or Muslim Arab. We found a Christian Arab who was
a little like me, and I took his ID. The car was stopped and checked
by the rebels several times on the way to the neighboring villages of
Aleppo. They asked us if there are army soldiers or Armenians in the
car. We certainly said no. Being asked the same question for several
times we asked why they ask this question. One of the rebels said
Turkey promised to pay 1000 dollars for each killed army soldier and
5000 dollars for each killed Armenian.
The Armenian district is the target of snipers therefore some central
streets are closed. The street of the high school is closed. Karen
Epeh, Sahakyan Schools, St Gregory Illuminator Church are closed. The
main street where most shops are is closed. Sometimes the army is
able to catch snipers. The first was an Austrian girl, a former
biathlonist. She said she was paid 50,000 dollars a month plus a fee
for each victim. Before she was caught she had killed an Armenian
young man.
A few days ago rebels intervened in the Kurdish neighborhood
called Sheik Makhsud which is beside the Armenian neighborhood and
is situated higher. First the Kurds defended their neighborhoods,
the government promised to help them to defend themselves but Kurds
were split by controversies and some of them agreed to yield. Some
twenty days ago they yielded to the rebels in return for some money,
which exposed the Armenian neighborhood to risk. The army felt that
this neighborhood could not be yielded so it intervened and took the
Kurdish neighborhood.
There are also funny incidents. We were on duty one night, and two guys
were walking towards our neighborhood shooting every now and then. The
Armenians wounded them. The gunmen (who were from Afghanistan) asked
if we could see them. They said we were given some substance and told
that we it would make us invisible. A few days later we caught someone
else with a sword who also said he had been given some medicine which
would make him invisible.
There are lots of foreigners among the rebels. Mostly Afghans and
Chechens are sent to the front line, there are also Tunisians,
Europeans, Filipinos, Yemeni, Saudis, Nigerians.
The rebels are keen on the Armenian districts because it will give
them a big advantage. Besides, they believe that the government forces
will not raze Armenian buildings to the ground. On the contrary, the
government tells the residents of different districts to keep their
districts and promises to help them in every way. The government
warns a day before the surrender to leave their homes and deploys
artillery and air force to destroy entire districts controlled by
the rebels. If the rebels are able take a district, the government
considers it betrayal by residents of the district.
What allows for hope is that the Armenians have united at this hard
time independent from their party affiliation. Armenians abroad
send money, food, so Armenians always have food for a month. Half
of Armenians of Aleppo have left the country. Most of them moved to
Armenia and Lebanon hoping to return as soon as everything ends. Most
of them prefer to stay, noting that Syria is their home, and they will
live both good days and hard days and will not abandon their homes.
Mushegh Ghahriyan 16:35 23/04/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/index.php/eng/0/politics/view/29702