Christian Village Maaloula Falls into Jihadists' Hands as Al-Qaeda Grows in Syria

Inside Syria, the number of Al-Qaeda-linked extremists within the opposition ranks is reportedly growing. And they're not just fighting government troops but also their former rebel allies, with the fiercest battles taking place near the Turkish border. Civilians are also suffering with the ancient Christian village of Maaloula just one area to fall into the hands of jihadists. RT's correspondent in Syria Maria Finoshina reports.

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Maaloula's Cathedral and Churches Empty of Christians as Syria's Latest Front-line Fight Takes Its Toll

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Its churches are empty, its monasteries deserted, many pitted and holed by the battles raging around them.
On Sunday thousands of Christians should have filled its streets for the festival of the Holy Cross. But instead the streets of Maaloula are filled with soldiers and tanks, spent bullet casings and the noise of Syria's latest front-line fight.

Maaloula is a special place. It has been a safe haven for Christians for 2,000 years - until now. It was a place of refuge so secure in its rugged mountain isolation that a dialect of the language of Christ, Aramaic, is still spoken here. But not today.

Its Christian community of 2,000 has fled. In the tight alleyways and streets that wind up the Maaloula's mountainside their language has been replaced by the Arabic of two bitter enemies: rebels from three Islamist groups and the soldiers of President Bashar al-Assad.

Some 70,000 tourists a year used to come here from all over the Middle East, Europe and America to marvel at the Christianity carved into its rock. But the "Welcome to Maaloula" sign as I drove in seemed almost laughable.

There was hardly time to notice the white statue of Christ the Redeemer on the hillside before we were fired on, bullets aimed at our van, blowing our tyre and holing the chassis. We screeched to a halt and scrambled clear. » | Bill Neely, International Editor, ITV News, in Damascus and Maaloula | Saturday, September 14, 2013

Battle for Syria Christian Town of Maaloula Continues

BBC: A BBC correspondent in Syria has said the battle for an ancient Christian town is continuing, despite reports that government forces had retaken it.

Jeremy Bowen said that a heavy gunfight with rebels was continuing in Maaloula, with smoke rising into the sky.

He added that he had not seen evidence confirming religious sites had been damaged by al-Qaeda-linked jihadists.

Fighting over the town, 55km (34 miles) north of Damascus, began last week after rebels attacked a checkpoint.

Free Syrian Army (FSA) units and members of the jihadist al-Nusra Front occupied Maaloula for several hours on Thursday before withdrawing when their positions were bombed by government warplanes.

Then on Sunday, activists said government soldiers and pro-government militiamen had been forced to pull back to the outskirts following a fresh rebel assault.

Since then, most of the town's 3,300 residents have fled to safer parts of the country including Damascus, where some told the BBC that three people had been killed and six kidnapped.

They said al-Nusra fighters had desecrated churches and statues.

However, our correspondent in Maaloula has seen statues in churches which were left undamaged. (+ videos) » | Wednesday, September 11, 2013