Sadad: Thousands Flee as ISIS Advances on Syrian Christian Town
Thousands of residents of Sadad have fled as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) closes in on the Syrian Christian town.
Sadad, which is home to several ancient churches and relics, is now in the crosshairs of ISIS. While 12,000 women and children of the Syrian Christian town have already fled, the men have stayed behind to fight the jihadists, the World Tribune reports.
"Around 60 percent of the 12,000 residents, particularly the women and children, have fled to other Christian villages in the province, like Fayruza and Yazdal," the Tribune quotes Sadad Mayor Suleiman Khalil's statement. "The men are staying behind to defend the town."
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Hassan, a 22-year-old shopkeeper in Sadad, said ISIS is threatening their town because of their religion. But they are staying behind to defend their place and prevent another massacre from happening, the report relays.
This is not the first time that Sadad has come under attack. In October 2013, the Syrian regime and rebel forces fought to take over the Christian town, but the former successfully protected it. But now, danger looms once again for Sadad as ISIS marches closer, according to an AFP report published on Yahoo! News.
On Nov. 1, ISIS members reached Maheen, a town located 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Sadad. The extremists have already attacked the Christian town with mortar shells. The dozens of attacks have forced residents to flee for fear of the next offensive, the report details.
ISIS is on a mission to destroy buildings and monuments that go against its strict implementation of Islam and it has already blown up Christian churches, Muslim graves, and holy temples. It has also abducted hundreds of civilians in the Homs province.
In an attempt to prevent the terrorist group from taking over Sadad, a Syrian Christian militia group called Sotoro has sent 250 fighters to help the Christian town repel the extremists. Syrian soldiers are reportedly on standby outside Sadad, and Russian troops are also stationed between the Christian town and Maheen.
