Thousands of displaced Christians in Syria continue to be deprived of their homes and are still caught in the crossfire even as militants from the Islamic State (ISIS) continue to lose ground in the Middle East.
According to a report by World Watch Monitor, Assyrian Christians, specifically those in Tel Nasri, Tel Goran and other villages, still could not return to their homes despite the fact that ISIS forces have already left these areas. Local sources said this is because Kurdish militias now occupy these communities after they dislodged the ISIS militants.
The militiamen put up signs warning against danger and mines to make it appear that it is still unsafe for Assyrian Christians to return to their villages, but in reality, this is their way of occupying the communities, Assyria TV reported.
This came as a surprise for the Assyrian Christians who expected the Kurdish militias to stay only temporarily and to leave their villages once they have driven out the last of the ISIS militants.
Worse, the Kurdish militia forces are also reportedly intimidating and committing acts of violence against the Assyrian Christians, particularly in Hassake. There were also reports from local media in Syrian that Kurdish militiamen are "systematically" looting the villages previously controlled by ISIS militants.
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On top of the problem brought about by Kurdish militia forces, Christians in Syria also have to constantly worry about the continuing threat posed by ISIS, which earlier occupied 35 villages in Syria.
The jihadist group is still holding captive some of the 200 Assyrians it took as hostages back in February last year.
Because of these, Christians in Syria are continually asking for prayers and assistance from their fellow faithful around the world.
Some Christian groups have already responded to this call. For instance, the nonprofit group In Defense of Christians (IDC) led a convention last month to urge the United States government to to act on behalf of the Christians in the Middle East.
Other organisations have been been raising funds to support emergency humanitarian efforts for Assyrian Christians in Iraq and other places in the Middle East.
