Largely ignored by world public opinion, Turkey is committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in collaboration with jihadist militias in the self-governed areas of northern and eastern Syria. In open violation of the de-escalation and ceasefire agreement in force since October 2019, the autonomous areas are under heavy artillery fire on a daily basis. The town of Til Temir in the Christian-majority Khabur Valley is considered particularly affected by this aggression. Attacks occur almost daily in the region, with phases of high intensity alternating with phases of low intensity.

In recent days, the village of Til Tawil, which is also known by the Assyrian name Bnay Roumta and lies about ten kilometers west of Til Temir, has come under particularly heavy artillery fire. Again and again, shells fired from the Turkish occupation zone hit the area, and almost every building has bullet holes. The church and other public buildings in Til Tawil have also been deliberately bombed by occupation forces in the past. Now the Christian place of worship, Mar Sawa, has been extensively destroyed.

The full extent of the damage to the church can be seen in images published by the Hawarnews agency (ANHA) on Monday. Artillery shells tore large holes in the walls and roof. The interior of the church is in ruins and annexes were severely damaged. The days-long bombardment on Til Tawil, which began last Thursday and only subsided yesterday, caused massive damage to the power grid and the streets and squares of the village. It is still unclear how many houses were damaged by the shelling. A village school was also targeted again. The other educational institution in Til Tawil had already been destroyed by Turkey and its allies in recent months.

Since the beginning of the year, a total of nine schools in the villages of Til Temir have thus been unlawfully attacked by Turkey. The number of churches damaged or destroyed in the villages of the region during the same period is five. This does not include Christian places of worship in villages in the Khabur Valley already occupied by the Turkish army and its proxy forces.

Strategic city of Til Temir

The purpose of the attacks by the West's Turkish NATO partner and its Islamist militias is to expel the ancestral population from Til Temir and expand the zone of occupation. The town, with its majority Christian Syriac population, is a key target for invading forces due to its strategic location on Syria's east-west link, the M4 highway. The highway runs through northern and northeastern Syria like a lifeline and is considered a link between the self-governing Euphrates and Cizîrê regions. Turkey has been trying to get the M4 under its control since 2019. Til Temir occupies a key position in Turkey's occupation plans.

Since the Turkish invasion of Serêkaniyê (Ras al-Ain) and Girê Spî (Tal Abyad) launched on October 9, 2019, more than thirty villages have already been occupied in Til Temir. Another 27 villages in the Khabur Valley are directly on the front line, and five of all Assyrian villages in the region have already been depopulated by Turkey's war efforts. Numerous people have been killed in the attacks, and dozens have been injured. Syrian troops stationed in Til Temir and the Russian military are not fulfilling their role in upholding the de-escalation and ceasefire agreement.