Tweet
"MORE THAN 900 FAMILIES HAVE ARRIVED IN THE LAST FOUR DAYS"
The Observers / France 24
March 27 2014
FRANCE 24 spoke with an administrator for the Latakia News Network,
a group on Facebook that has links with the Syrian regime. He wished
to stay anonymous.
The families arrived in Latakia in small groups, coming from the Kassab
and al-Samra villages [located in the hills around Latakia], starting
Saturday morning. I was present for the first wave of arrivals, which
consisted of roughly 500 people, primarily women and children. Over
the last four days, more than 900 families have arrived, but I don't
know the exact number of displaced people because many went directly
to stay with family or friends in town.
The displaced people arrived by car or by bus. Many got here thanks
to the help of residents from other villages that were spared by the
fighting. Locals went out to the Cheikh Hassan road [between Kassab
and Latakia] in order to help those who did not have any means of
transportation.
On their end, the regular army and the national defence units
[pro-government militias] sought to protect the convoys, but they
were targeted by sniper fire during most of the journey. Luckily,
nobody was hit.
Volunteers and members of local organisations lent a hand to the
Syrian Red Crescent, which did the brunt of the work, as well as
clergymen from the Orthodox and Armenian churches in Latakia. These are
"emergency" measures, which are only meant to last a couple of days.
http://observers.france24.com/content/20140327-kassab-village-christians-flee-fighting
The Observers / France 24
March 27 2014
FRANCE 24 spoke with an administrator for the Latakia News Network,
a group on Facebook that has links with the Syrian regime. He wished
to stay anonymous.
The families arrived in Latakia in small groups, coming from the Kassab
and al-Samra villages [located in the hills around Latakia], starting
Saturday morning. I was present for the first wave of arrivals, which
consisted of roughly 500 people, primarily women and children. Over
the last four days, more than 900 families have arrived, but I don't
know the exact number of displaced people because many went directly
to stay with family or friends in town.
The displaced people arrived by car or by bus. Many got here thanks
to the help of residents from other villages that were spared by the
fighting. Locals went out to the Cheikh Hassan road [between Kassab
and Latakia] in order to help those who did not have any means of
transportation.
On their end, the regular army and the national defence units
[pro-government militias] sought to protect the convoys, but they
were targeted by sniper fire during most of the journey. Luckily,
nobody was hit.
Volunteers and members of local organisations lent a hand to the
Syrian Red Crescent, which did the brunt of the work, as well as
clergymen from the Orthodox and Armenian churches in Latakia. These are
"emergency" measures, which are only meant to last a couple of days.
http://observers.france24.com/content/20140327-kassab-village-christians-flee-fighting