Syria Terrorists Occupy Maloula, Kidnap 12 Nuns

Local Editor

Syrian terrorist extremists occupied the historic Christian town of Maalula north of Damascus on Monday.
The militants assaulted the town by rolling explosive-filled tires down the hills onto regime forces and were able to reach the city center after three days of intense fighting, with clashes still raging in the surrounding areas.
The picturesque town is considered a symbol of the ancient Christian presence in Syria, and its 5,000 pre-war residents are among the few in the world who still speak Aramaic, the language of the Holy Prophet, Jesus.

The fighting came as the regime has been battling to gain control of a string of nearby towns and villages along the strategic Damascus-Homs highway north of the capital.

According to the information, several groups including al-Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda affiliate, had taken part in the capture of the town.
The armed groups abducted 12 Syrian and Lebanese Orthodox nuns from their convent after moving into the town, Vatican Radio reported, citing Mario Zenari, the nuncio ambassador of the Holy See in Syria.

"We don't know the reasons behind this act by the armed opposition. It is a kidnapping or an act of control over the monastery in order to free their hand in Maaloula," he said, hinting that he hesitated to label the nuns hostages.
Syrian state news agency SANA had earlier said the terrorists had entered the Orthodox Mar Takla convent, in the middle of the city, which had previously been controlled by the army.

"Local sources said terrorists broke into the convent, taking Mother Superior Pelagia Sayyaf and other nun hostages," SANA reported.
The convent is home to some 40 nuns and orphans, some of the few residents of the town who remained after the extremists first entered in September.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry sent letters to UN chief Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council charging that the rebels were ransacking churches in the town, and called on the international community to intervene.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team