Christians need your urgent prayer and support as conflict escalates in northern Syria
40,000 to 50,000 Christians are caught up in the escalating conflict in northern Syria, as Turkish troops attack Kurdish-led forces.
Open Doors church partners are on the ground, assessing and responding to immediate needs and caring for those affected by the fighting.
Give now to help your brothers and sisters in Syria
On October 9th Turkey began airstrikes and mortar fire on parts of northeast Syria, from the Euprhates River eastward toward the conjunction of the borders of Turkey, Syria and Iraq.
Northeast Syria has a significant Christian population, and tens of thousands of civilians are reported to be on the move to avoid the hostilities. Artillery struck Christian-dominated neighbourhoods of Qamishli, the largest city in Syria’s northeast, on 10 October.
Church leaders have expressed a concern that there some members of the Turkish and Syrian forces will “pursue an Islamist agenda”. There are many believers from a Muslim background living in north-east Syria and Christian leaders fear for their safety as they will be particularly vulnerable.
Pastor George of the Evangelical Christian Alliance Church reports shelling on the border and houses destroyed. His church has provided shelter to Kurdish believers made homeless by the fighting.
“We are deeply concerned for all those fleeing for their lives,” says Open Doors’ Field Director. “The Christians have even more to fear: not just the fighting but the freedom that extremists will have as the situation unravels.
“They need their global church family to rise up in prayer and stand with them for the longterm. ”
Right now, our staff in the region continues to distribute food, medical help, winter aid, trauma counseling and income-generating projects. We’re doing all we can to help our Syrian sisters and brothers survive and to be a light for Christ in the region.
Please pray urgently. Alert your church to pray. And give to help your brothers and sisters in Syria.
Please pray
- For a swift resolution and effective intervention by the international community.
- For protection for all those caught up in the fighting, particularly courageous pastors and church workers providing immediate assistance and pastoral care.
- For the future of the church in Syria: that it will not just survive but be a light in these dark times.