ASIA/SYRIA - Archbishop Hindo: if the US attack the Syrian army, we will have a second Libya

Hassaké (Agenzia Fides) - "If the US-led intervention against the jihadists of the Islamic State eventually turns against the Syrian army, we could have a second Libya in Syria". This is how Archbishop Jacques Behnan Hindo, titular of the Archieparchy Hassaké-Nisibis describes the uncertainties and risks related to possible developments for the US-led military also carried out in Syria against the positions of the Islamic State.
In a conversation with Agenzia Fides, the Catholic Archbishop of the Eastern rite confirms that the airstrikes of the Syrian army against positions of the jihadists are in addition to those committed against the same targets by US planes. He also describes, with worried tones, the uncertain condition experienced by people in the region that includes the cities of Hassake and Qamishli, in the northeastern Syrian province of Jazira. "More than a month ago – says to Fides Mgr. Hindo - the Syrian army attacked the district of Hassaké where there were about 250 militants of the Islamic State, and took control. Since then, the two towns are experiencing relative calm. But the positions of the jihadists are only 15 kilometers from Hassaké and about 20 from Qamishli. If they decide to attack, their offensive on a large scale would endanger the lives of nearly one million people, including 60 thousand Kurds and 120 thousand Christians".
Archbishop Hindo also redimensions the news circulating on the net about the alleged "Christian militias" in action in the region: "we are talking about a few hundred Assyrians, linked in part to the Kurdish militias and partly to the troops of the regular army. But it is a small faction that cannot have any decisive weight in the case of an escalation of the armed conflict". (GV) (Agenzia Fides 14/11/2014)