Report: Syrian Christians Living in ‘Trauma’ from Jihadist Incursions

• Report: Syrian Christians Living in ‘Trauma’ from Jihadist Incursions
  by Thomas D. Williams, Ph.D., https://www.breitbart.com/
  ROME — Syrian Christians are living in “trauma” following the recent jihadist takeover of Aleppo, Syria’s second largest city, reports a major Christian persecution watchdog group.
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  In Defense of Christians (IDC), a leading U.S.-based advocacy group for Christians in the Middle East, noted this week that the jihadist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) had seized full control of Aleppo, forcing a total withdrawal of Syrian government forces from the city and its environs.
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  “HTS is a Turkey-backed rebel group which has operated under several names during the Syrian conflict, including ‘Jabhat al-Nusra,’” IDC wrote, adding that the group is an ideological offshoot of al-Qaeda, and “includes Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (of ISIS notoriety) among its founders.” HTS has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States.
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  This fall of Aleppo into jihadist control on November 29 “is the most significant threat to stability in Syria” since the onset of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, IDC warned, and HTS fighters are now battling for control of Hama in their southward advance.
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