| Local Editor | ||||
 Violent clashes took place between the Syrian Army units and opposition gunmen in the historic town of Ma'loula in Rural Damascus on Thursday, after hundreds of militants attacked the Christian-majority town.Local and international media outlets reported that that al-Nusra Front militiamen destroyed the Aramaic church and institute in the town and stole their contents. Militants began their attack on Wednesday detonating a booby-trapped car at an army checkpoint near the town in the northern countryside of Damascus. The so-called 'Islamic State of Iraq and Levant' claimed responsibility for the bombing , which aided the gunmen to enter Ma'loula and seize control over its main square where snipers deployed over a number of buildings. Journalists and reporters said that access to the town is not possible due to the fierce clashes between the two sides, indicating that militants have slaughtered some Syrian soldiers. From her part, Mother Bagela said that two shells landed on the monastery of Mar Takla leaving material damage. Media correspondents also stated the army's military operations are cautious because of the presence of civilians, in addition to that al-Nusra's gunmen deployed over Ma'loula building are delaying the qualitative military conduct to restore the town. | ||||
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Militants attack Christian village in western Syria
This file photo shows several militants operating inside Syria.
Thu Sep 5, 2013 6:59AM GMT
Al-Qaeda-linked militants operating inside Syria have attacked a Christian village west of the Middle Eastern country.
The attack by the Al-Nusra Front terrorists took place on Wednesday in the mountain village of Maaloula, located northeast of the capital, Damascus.The Al-Nusra Front militants seized a hotel during the assault on the village, where Aramaic-speaking people reside, also shelling one of its communities.
Following the attack, about 80 villagers took shelter in a local convent.
The village is still under the Syrian army’s control, which is trying to repel the attack, according to a government official.
The assault comes as the talk of war against Syria is growing.
The rhetoric of war against the Arab country first gained momentum on August 21, when the militants operating inside Syria and the foreign-backed Syrian opposition claimed that over a thousand people had been killed in a government chemical attack on militant strongholds in several suburbs of Damascus.
The Syrian government categorically rejected the accusation and said the militants had conducted the attack to draw in foreign military intervention.
Nevertheless, a number of Western countries, including the United States, France, and Britain, quickly started campaigning for war.
The UN, Iran, Russia, and China have warned against war.