Islamist Rebels Hijack Food Aid for 20,000 Christians during Aleppo Takeover
- Milton Quintanilla Crosswalk Headlines Contributor
- Updated Dec 11, 2024
Islamist rebel forces have stolen humanitarian aid that could have fed 20,000 Christians, including water and medicine, following their capture of Aleppo. For the past two years, Global Christian Relief, a nonprofit organization located in the United States that works to provide aid to persecuted Christians worldwide, has kept a supportive network on the ground in Syria. Most recently, the group delivered food and humanitarian supplies to churches around two weeks ago.
"We've continuously been delivering aid the last two years, but the stock that we have now, some of it has been captured by these rebels," GCR President and CEO David Curry told The Christian Post. "There's still some that remains; we're going to distribute that as cautiously as we possibly can to people who are now on the run, but the reality is this is a very dangerous area right now for Christians."
Although Aleppo has historically been described as the "center for Christian faith in Syria," Curry said that the Christian population has been on a decline and continues to decrease due to feeling less safe in the area.
Last weekend, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a "reconstructed remnant" of Islamic extremist groups such as the Islamic State and Al Qaeda, seized Aleppo and Hama, which prompted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to flee the country.
"Considered a terrorist organization, they have, in less than two weeks, ethnically cleansed the northwest of Syria — including Aleppo and beyond — of Kurds and Christians," Curry said. "Despite public protestations to the contrary, we can expect them to extend their campaign to the rest of the country."
He noted that the decline of the Christian population dropped from 1.5 million to 300,000 over the past decade due to the civil war in Syria.
Numerous reports of bread shortages and a lack of drinking water have surfaced following the rebel's takeover of Aleppo. Additionally, militant groups have imposed curfews, restricting resident's daily lives, including Christians who want to maintain their faith and traditions. Believers in the area are currently receiving spiritual guidance from spiritual leaders who have remained in the city.
On Sunday, President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. is monitoring the situation in Syria following the downfall of the Assad-led regime. Meanwhile, Currey listed several steps he believes President-elect Donald Trump should take once he takes office next month.
"One of the things that [President Trump] can encourage is the establishment of humanitarian corridors and material aid to the displaced families. Right now, there is no protection for these folks; there's no way to get in to help them," Curry said.
The GCR president also urged Western governments to point to Turkey as "the culprits" in supporting opposition forces, namely to overthrow the Assad regime since 2011. Curry noted that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan intends to "dominate" the area through Sunni terrorists, whom he has close ties to, and that Western leaders including Trump must confront Turkey.
"[Trump] is going to have to call attention to this and force him to back down," Curry said.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Amir Levy/Stringer
