Talk:Assault on Maaloula

Good work starting this page. I was thinking about it. I hear that Maaloula is the only Aramaic speaking town on Earth. Didn't notice any clear massacre reports yet. The SOHR has been covering it some, but I didn't even save the links. Anyway, that's a talk page started. --Caustic Logic (talk) 23:41, 8 September 2013 (UTC)


 * Experience shows that it gets interesting when you have reporters with authoritative British accents on the ground, especially if they're blond Russian women, so when I saw that RT video I knew that alone would carry an article... ;o) A RIA Novosti piece from this afternoon and musings of SyrPer indicate that the Army might have withdrawn for the moment, to not cause unnecessary destruction to the amazing historical treasures, and the barbarians are in charge. --CE (talk) 00:07, 9 September 2013 (UTC)

Kidnapped Nuns
Continuing from front page intro, Further developments:


 * International Business Times, December 6: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/528140/20131206/syria-nuns-kidnapped-hostage-swap-rebels-maaloula.htm
 * A Syrian rebel group calling themselves "Free Qalamoun" has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of 12 nuns in Maaloula, and demanded the release of 1,000 female prisoners of the Assad government, in exchange for their hostages. ... Rebel spokesman Mohannad Abu al-Fidaa said the nuns "will not be released until several demands have been implemented, most importantly, the release of 1,000 Syrian women held in regime prisons".

However:
 * Anti-government activists from the Syrian General Revolution Commission denied reports that a rebel group had demanded that the regime release hundreds of female detainees in exchange for the release of the women.
 * This is troubling. Are there 1,000 women in prisons? Is this like asking for the release of the Easter Bunny, or else? A similar demand was made for the release of 105 of the 200+ Alawite hostages, women and children, taken in Latakia in August. Some women rebels held in sports stadium in Baniyas must be freed, or else unspecified. There's been no public word if those demands were ever met and the people released. --Caustic Logic (talk) 04:34, 8 December 2013 (UTC)

This report passes on rebel claims that the nuns were rescued, not kidnapped:
 * ... opposition forces said that the nuns were rescued during the battle to conquer Maaloula, which was captured by rebel groups, including the al-Qaida-linked Jabhat al-Nusra. The opposition said that they decided to evacuate the nuns trapped inside the convent for their own safety and that they were moved to nearby rebel-held town of Yabrud.


 * Mother superior of the Saidnaya convent, Febronia Nabhan, seemed to confirm the report, according to Middle East Monitor.
 * Nabhan allegedly received a call from the nuns' Mother superior Pelagia Sayyaf, who told her they were all "fine and safe".
 * According to their telephone conversation, "she and the 11 other nuns, accompanied by three young maids, were comfortably installed in a house in Yabrud and no one was bothering them," Nabhan said.
 * (that's not confirmation of the rebel story. It is consistent with it, as well as with less rosy scenarios) --Caustic Logic (talk) 04:34, 8 December 2013 (UTC)

On December 7 it was reported there was a rebel video, aired by Al-Jazeera, in which the nuns say they are 13 in number, plus 3 maids, with no mention of orphans. Filmed by rebels in the local rebel capitol of Yabroud, they denied being held hostage. They claim they've been treated well in a nice villa, which may be; Lebanon's Daily Star says "they are reportedly staying in the home of a Christian family," but presumably one collaborating with the rebels.


 * AFP Dec. 7 http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5g-0bosBZ1qty5JSvF9izChiXV1wg?docId=23753f27-1274-4625-aae8-13edff46f21a
 * It was unclear who was filming the women, and where they were.
 * "A group brought us here and protected us, and we're very, very happy with them," one of the nuns said.
 * An unidentified man asked the nuns questions, with several taking turns to speak. It was unclear if they were being pressured to talk, and some of the women bowed their heads as the camera turned to them.


 * Dec. 8, Saudi Arshaq al-Awsat reports An unnamed Lebanese rebel supporter claiming direct knowledge says no one knows just who abducted the women except it was Islamist extremists, the ones they aren't in touch with, and not any of the ones with FSA. "The source denied that the Free Syrian Army (FSA) is behind the abduction, citing the “growing influence of the hardline rebels who oppose the FSA and have taken control over the FSA military bases in Bab Al-Hawa on the Turkish borders.”" It was a discredit to the revolution, not a part of it, he said, and implicitly again it's the West's fault for forsaking the revolution so the Islamists took the lead - with much Saudi help, Qatari, etc. Consider:
 * Director-General of Lebanese General Security Forces Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim has visited Qatar, one of the key sponsors of several Syrian rebels groups, to discuss ways to secure the release of the 12 nuns. --Caustic Logic (talk) 10:19, 9 December 2013 (UTC)

Abu Majid's Story
A later national Public Radio report of December 20 passed on a rebel leader's claim that Nuns Were Led To Safety, Not Seized, In Syria
 * There are differing versions of what happened to the Greek Orthodox nuns of Maaloula, who left their convent north of Damascus earlier this month. Some say the nuns are being held hostage by Islamic radicals. Others say they were under missile assault by the forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad and were rescued by rebel fighters.


 * NPR now has a firsthand account from one man who was in Maaloula — and says he helped with the nuns' passage.

This is "Abu Majid," age 25, a former law student who "now leads Ahrar al Asserian, or Free Asserians, a local Muslim rebel group." NPR reports that he "he negotiated the nuns' passage ... convinced they would be killed if they stayed."
 * "He decided to kill you and blame us," he recalls pleading with the sisters, referring to Syrian President Bashar Assad, after a surface-to-surface missile shattered the convent's thick wooden door on Dec. 3. His talks with the nuns over their safety began earlier in the day as five rebel groups — local insurgents, including an al-Qaida-linked battalion — fought Syrian government forces for control ... The nuns, the only civilians left in town, were reluctant to leave the convent ... But after a missile hit at dusk, Abu Majid says, "it was crazy," and the nuns agreed to go.


 * "Assad always says he protects the minorities, but he shells them," says Abu Majid during an interview in Lebanon. The thin-faced young man, with dark hollowed eyes, agreed to talk about the nuns of Mar Tekla and his role in their departure from Maaloula on a rare visit across the border in a short break from the battlefield.

NPR scrounged up Syrian official denial and also "church confirmation" to bolster this questionable tale:
 * Some of the details of Abu Majid's account were confirmed in a call to the office of the Apostolic Nuncio to Syria, Archbishop Mario Zenari in Damascus. "As far as we know," he says, "the sisters were taken to a safer place," though he adds that the situation is "still confusing."

The key question remains who truly was making it so unsafe, at just the time rebels were there to "save " the high-value civilian targets, clearly after they battled their way in? True stories usually aren't confusing. False one mixed with actual facts, however, usually are.

And the captured nuns held guest also confirm the story of their hosts and saviors on that "crazy" day:
 * The head of the convent, Mother Superior Pelagia Sayyaf, spoke directly to the camera. Her account tallied with Abu Majid's version of a fast drive out of Maaloula under heavy shelling. "We can't say anything, except may God give them all health," Sayyaf said in the video, referring to the rebels who are not seen on screen. "I thank those who offered this favor, food, water and welfare."

"We can't say anything but..." might be the most important words in this "confirmation." Clarifying the safety they enjoy at their new villa, Abu Majid said "The nuns are inside the villa. The rebels are outside." Presumably they're just outside, guarding it, with no intervening guard to keep them from going inside if they wanted. That makes this comfort a cold one. And just why the nuns remain in this villa, instead of somewhere further from armed Islamists, is unexplained. But Abu Majid swears "[Mother Superior Sayyaf] told us, 'Bashar is not saving us, God is saving us." This God, then, is working at the moment through the rebel brigades and their Christian collaborators with villas. "In the complex war in Syria, the nuns seem certain that only God will prevail," this twisted little piece closes. --Caustic Logic (talk) 07:55, 23 December 2013 (UTC)

The Oprphans
This needs settled out. "Dozens" of orphaned children were reportedly taken too, but no confirmation. Unlike the nuns, these were not necessarily Christians the rebel sponsors would care about. All kinds of Syrian people - Christians, Alawi, Shia, Druze, Kurd, secular/gov't loyalist Sunni, anyone else in the crossfire - might have parents killed and need a place to be taken care of. The best case scenario is someone who didn't know of their earlier evacuation noticed them missing too and passed on worries that will be unfounded.--Caustic Logic (talk) 04:34, 8 December 2013 (UTC)

World reaction
Pope Francis and all levels in the Catholic Church and related communities have weighed in on the side of the nuns' safety. A council of Maronit bishops called on the "workrld community" to get the nuns released. Outside the obvious church venues, the reaction from that community and its various members in their world capitols is interesting. Two so far I've found: --Caustic Logic (talk) 04:34, 8 December 2013 (UTC)


 * Russia Urges Release of Abducted Orthodox Nuns in Syria

Foreign ministry spokeswoman, Marzyeh Afkham who looks a lot like the nuns, says: “Certainly this act was taken with the aim of fueling sedition in Syria and discord among followers of divine religions who have had peaceful coexistence for centuries...”
 * Iran Condemns Abduction of Nuns, Desecration of Christian Sites in Syria

Western powers have been slower to say anything, maybe hoping the rebels get their demands met before they urge anything. They might be urging them to up the demands and get fighters released too. It's presumably unrelated that British Foreign secretary William Hague, speaking in Kuwait, used to occasion to again call for president Assad's resignation. Now, if the orphans had been in fake incubators in a P.R. company's imagination, rather than a real monastery in Syria... (if they were taken) --Caustic Logic (talk) 04:34, 8 December 2013 (UTC)

Dead link
Petri, the link to the video you just added is dead. I find three versions of it on the tube. Was the statement you added a comment? The first version contains the comment "The nuns here are under duress and told to lie about their treatment by al﻿ nusra terrorists" --CE (talk) 14:18, 9 September 2013 (UTC)


 * Fixed! The comment is from the YouTube file description (slightly edited to fix bad translation). -- Petri Krohn (talk) 15:19, 9 September 2013 (UTC)

Sadad

 * Al-Nusra Out of Syria's Ancient Sadad Town – FNA, Oct 27, 2013
 * ''Syrian Army regained control of the ancient town of Sadad after days of intensive fighting with militants from al-Nusra terrorist group.
 * ''Around two thousand militants from the Al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front stormed and occupied the ancient town of Sadad, 60 kilometers (37 mi) South of Homs, nearly a month ago and sieged its fifteen thousand residents to use them as human shields against the Syrian army, Al-Alam reported.
 * ''The militant groups who were driven out of Sadad were from the same groups that raided Syria's ancient Christian town of Maalula in Northeast of Damascus a couple of months ago.
 * ''Terrorists had taken Sadad to turn it into their stronghold for the al-Qalamoun war which both sides are getting ready for, an army member said.