Damascus, Syria, Oct 8, 2019 / 16:00 pm
Endangered Christian populations in the Middle East face renewed risks as the United States removes troops from Syria, a leading human rights group has warned.
On Oct. 6, the White House announced that Turkish forces would move in to northern Syria and that the United States would not have any military forces in the region. The announcement has caused widespread concern among Kurds in northern Syria and Iraq.
An ally of the United States, the Kurdish population includes many Yazidis and a handful of Christians. They have assisted the United States in its fight against ISIS and other extremist groups in the region.
Kurdistan is a disputed area distributed among Iraq, Turkey, and Iran, and Kurdish nationalists in Turkey have been the focus of sustained government oppression. The movement of Turkish military forces into Syria with U.S. support has raised concerns that they will wage a campaign against Kurds living there and placing renewed strain on Christian communities in the region.