Iraq Christians flee from Takfiri violence, seek refuge in Syria

Iraq’s Christians escaping from ISIL terrorists’ atrocities are seeking refuge in the province of Hasakah in neighboring Syria, Press TV reports.

A demographic change is underway in Iraq as Takfiri terrorist groups step up brutal attacks on the country’s residents, including Izadi Kurds minority fleeing from Sinjar Province

Earlier, Christians living in Mosul – one of the biggest and oldest Christian communities in the Middle East – had left the city.

“When the ISIL came they said they only wanted the Kurdish militias to put down their flag. But soon they began going house to house, threatening us to death. Then they said our houses are confiscated. They took many women and children,” said a local resident.

Some 15,000 families have already fled Iraq and sought refuge in Syria earlier this week.

“A bearded man came and he didn’t speak Arabic. I think he was Turkish or something. He said the caliphate ordered him to throw us out of town. So we went to the mountains and started walking towards Syria,” said another resident.

Iraqis, including minorities, have sought refuge in neighboring Syria’s Hasakah Province, which has also come under attack by the ISIL militants operating inside the country.

Syrian government forces have launched a series of operations in the main cities of Hasakah and Qamishli, receiving help from the local Kurdish militia in their campaign.

“With the help of locals we have fortified our defense lines. We are utilizing air raids against terrorists’ hideouts and we will intercept any attempts by armed terrorist groups against Hasakah Province,” said an official.

The fate of Iraqi refugees in Syria remains unknown, however, as more people fear a Mosul-like scenario will be repeated in the Hasakah Province.

The Takfiri ISIL militants took control of the Iraqi city of Mosul in a lightning advance on June 10. The takeover was followed by the fall of the city of Tikrit, located 140 kilometers (87 miles) northwest of the capital, Baghdad. The control of Tikrit was later retaken by the Iraqi army. The ISIL has vowed to continue its raid towards the capital, Baghdad.

More than a million people have been displaced in Iraq so far this year, according to the United Nations refugee agency.