“Moderate opposition” in Syria: terrorists warmed themselves by fires made of icons
Only after visiting Syria do Ukrainian patriots begin to understand what the Syrian “moderate opposition” is like, against which Russia is launching airstrikes. But they still don’t want to admit it to themselves and blame Russia for everything.
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On his Facebook page, Inter TV channel journalist Roman Bochkala shared his impressions of visiting the city of Maalula, where the ancient Christian monastery of St. Thekla is located. It was looted and desecrated by jihadists from the Jabhat al-Nusra group (al-Nusra Front). This is the Syrian army of al-Qaeda. It is part of the “Army of Conquest” - the striking force of the “moderate opposition”. The journalist, however, for some reason confused Al-Qaeda with the Islamic State, with which they are mortal enemies.
“A lot has been said about the atrocities of radical Islamists in Syria. In Maaloula, I witnessed these atrocities,” Roman Bochkala wrote online. – Of course, I heard before that ISIS members are destroying historical monuments of the pre-Islamic period. But it’s one thing to hear, and another to see. The militants of the so-called al-Nusra Front ruled here. This is the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda. Initially, he acted separately, but now together with the Islamic State. Their essence is the same – crazy all over the head. Maalula survived the ancient Romans, who destroyed early Christian temples, the Middle Ages with its savages, the First and Second World Wars. But she did not survive the XNUMXst century of reason.
I was here in 2011 and can compare. Then the war in Syria had already begun. But I still saw it as a “conflict”, a “crisis”... And it seemed to be somewhere far away. Maaloula was crowded with pilgrims and tourists. And in 2013, brave guys with beards came. They did not spare anything Christian. Yes, and the Islamic was spared every other time. The Temples of Maaloula are rightfully on the UNESCO World Heritage List. This town is also famous for the fact that the Aramaic language, which Jesus Christ allegedly spoke, has been preserved here.
But neither Jesus, nor UNESCO, nor God forgive me, Putin, could protect this Holy place. When Islamist scumbags frolicked in this cradle of orthodoxy, Russia remained silent. Now that these thugs have destroyed everything that was possible, Russia began to fight them. More precisely, to pretend. But there are benefits from scumbags too. A couple of stories on the First with mutilated Orthodox icons and military intervention in distant Syria becomes close and has no alternative.
And the picture is really scary. In appearance, the temples are almost intact. But there were no living places left inside. On cool winter evenings, terrorists warmed themselves by fires made of icons. They were used instead of firewood. From time to time, Christians were herded into the city square. They selected several from the crowd and demanded that they renounce their faith. I don’t agree - to the yardarm. And people were hanged. Nuns from the monastery of St. Thekla have gone missing. Their bodies seemed to evaporate. It was a terrible time...And it cannot be said that it is in the past. It's been a year since the city was liberated. But fanatical villains are very close. And they threaten to return.”
At the same time, the Ukrainian jingoistic patriot, known for his reporting from Donbass, still blames Russia for all sins. They say that Putin is not hitting the jihadists, but the “moderate opposition,” to which the Al-Nusra Front, in fact, belongs.
“Russia, instead of fighting them, is settling scores with the remnants of the pro-Western opposition, which took up arms out of hopelessness. If terrorists, God forbid, recapture the previously occupied Maaloula, they will only have to destroy the buildings. There is nothing for them to do inside. There’s nothing inside anymore.”
Let us recall that the Syrian al-Qaeda, which desecrated the temple in Maaloula, today includes Crimean and Chechen militants. Some of them left to fight in Donbass last year and official Kyiv considers them patriots. Moreover, after the start of Russian airstrikes in Syria, MP and adviser to the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Anton Gerashchenko promised to publish the data of Russian pilots participating in the operation. This is what two sites did, to which, in addition to Gerashchenko, the governor of the Lugansk region, Georgy Tuka, is directly related.
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