AIN DARA, Syria (A.W.)թ§Չ-ՉBoth the Syrian government and the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor confirmed on Sunday that Turkish shelling of Syriaթ§Չ-Չ§s Afrin region has seriously damaged the Ain Dara Iron Age temple.
Press TV published this photo taken on Jan. 27 from an unidentified social media account showing the ruins of the Ain Dara Temple following Turkish shelling in Afrin (Photo: Press TV)
In a statement published by Syriaթ§Չ-Չ§s state-run SANA news agency, the Syrian government called for international pressure to be placed on Turkey to թ§Չ-ժprevent the targeting of archaeological and cultural sites in Afrin area, which is one of the richest areas in antiquities and cultural heritage in Syria.թ§Չ-Թ
The statement goes on to say that the attack թ§Չ-ժreflects the extent of hatred, malevolence and the barbarism of the Turkish regime against the Syrian identity and against the past of the Syrian people and their present and future.թ§Չ-Թ
Code-named by Turkey as Operation Olive Branch, the Turkish Armed Forcesթ§Չ-Չ§ large-scale offensive on the Kurdish-majority Afrin Region of Syria was launched on Jan. 20. Officially, the offensive is against the Kurdish-led Democratic Union Party in Syria (PYD), its armed wing Peopleթ§Չ-Չ§s Protection Units (YPG), and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) positions surrounding the Syrian city of Afrin. Although Turkey also says it is fighting ISIL, it is widely accepted that the terrorist organization does not have a presence in Afrin.
Turkeyթ§Չ-Չ§s offensive has been widely criticized by many in the international community as an outright attack on the mostly Kurdish civilian population. During the first days of the operation, United States Department of State spokesperson Heather Nauert urged Turkey not to engage in the invasion of Afrin, reiterating a statement made by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who also assured that the U.S. had no intention of building a Syria-Turkey border force. The following day, Tillerson said the U.S. was very concerned, adding that the operationթ§Չ-Չ§s scope should remain limited and Turkey should թ§Չ-ժshow restraint.թ§Չ-Թ
On Jan. 24, U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a telephone conversation to թ§Չ-ժde-escalate, limit its military actions, and avoid civilian casualties and increases to displaced persons and refugees.թ§Չ-Թ The Pentagon also asserted Thursday that the թ§Չ-ժAfrin operations are impeding the task to eliminate ISIS.թ§Չ-Թ
The remains of the Ain Dara temple before the destruction (Photo: Odilia)
The Syrian Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned the Turkish aggression against Afrin, calling the town թ§Չ-ժan inseparable part of Syria.թ§Չ-Թ Syrian President Bashar al-Assad called the Turkish invasion թ§Չ-ժterrorism,թ§Չ-Թ noting that թ§Չ-ժTurkeyթ§Չ-Չ§s aggression in the Syrian city of Afrin cannot be separated from the policy pursued by the Turkish regime since the outbreak of the Syrian crisis and built on support for terrorism and various terrorist groups.թ§Չ-Թ
The Dara Iron Age Proto-Hittite Ain Dara temple, is located northwest of Aleppo, near the village of Ain Dara. The temple is noted for its similarities to the biblical Solomonթ§Չ-Չ§s Temple, also known as the First Temple. According to the excavator Ali Abu Assaf, the temple was in existence from 1300 BC to 740 BC.
Report: Armenian Killed in Afrin
According to several sources, the home of an Armenian family that had settled in Afrin following the Armenian Genocide was shelled on Jan. 24, killing Armenian Rosher Konis. The reports also indicate that Konisթ§Չ-Չ§s mother, Shamsa, and sister, Hanifa Konis, wereթԹ gravely injured in the bombing.
TheթԹ Hawar News AgencyթԹ reported that Hartyon Kivork, a relative of the family, confirmed the killing. թ§Չ-ժ[Our] ancestors fled the oppression of the Turkish authorities nearly 100 years ago in the result of the massacres committed by the Turks against the Armenians so that they headed towards Afrin to live in peace among their Kurdish brothers and all other peoples and sects living in the area.թ§Չ-Թ
Kivork added that Turkish occupation army had թ§Չ-ժresumed its massacres,թ§Չ-Թ which do not differentiate between people and launched թ§Չ-ժnew massacres against all peoples in Afrin to leave our Armenian family as a victim of the Turkish crimes again.թ§Չ-Թ
Hawar released a series of photographs of the injuries sustained by the Konis family, though most of the photographs were blurred and cannot be confirmed to be authentic.
According to several sources, three Armenian families currently live in Afrin. A sizable Armenian community lived there and in the nearby village of Azaz before the Syrian Civil War. Armenian Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Tigran Balayan told Armenian reporters on Monday that his ministry is trying to confirm Konisթ§Չ-Չ§s death.
armenianweekly.com
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