SYRIA: Terror Group al-Nusra Front (an offspring of Iraq's al-Qaeda) Attacks Syrian Christian Village

Dothan Christianity Examiner

Terror group al-Nusra Front attacks Syrian Christian village

written by Joseph Parker

Wednesday September 4, 2013

An attack on a Christian village came early this morning in Maaloula, Syria. It was launched by the terrorist group known as the al-Nusra Front.

The fighting started after a suicide bomber blew himself up at a check point near the entrance to the village.

Maaloula is a regime-held Christian mountain village in a densely populated area of western Syria. It's located about 40 miles northeast of Damascus.

A nun in the village said after the bombing, fighting commenced between the terrorists and Assad's forces. After al-Nusra Front fighters had taken possession of the check point, they disabled two tanks and an armored personnel carrier. Eight regime soldiers have been reported killed by the terrorists.

The Washington Post reported: "The nun said the rebels took over the Safir hotel atop a mountain overlooking the village and fired shells at it from there." She also said: “It’s a war. It has been going from 6 a.m. in the morning."

Breitbart reported: "The nun said the convent houses 13 nuns and 27 orphans." She also said, "around 80 people from the village had come to the convent for safety." A Syrian government official said their military was in the works of repelling al-Nusra Front from Maaloula.

Maaloula is home to around 2,000 residents. Some there are said to "still speak a version of Aramaic, the ancient language of biblical times believed to have been spoken by Jesus" according to a CBS report. The al-Nusra front is responsible for many atrocities in Syria. Last month we filed a report that in the village of Tal Abyad they slaughtered 450 Kurds, 120 of which were innocent children.

In Aug. we also filed a report that jihadi fighters from al-Nusra Front beheaded Syrian Catholic priest Francois Murad. It was said that dozens of men and boys cheered Murad's death and took photos. We also noted in the same report that al-Qaeda was responsible for the beheading of a Christian and then allegedly fed his remains to the dogs.