Turkey condemns killing of Armenian Catholic priest in Syria

ANKARA

Turkey on Nov. 14 condemned the killing of an Armenian Catholic priest in a region under the control of the YPG in Syria.

“It was sadly learned that a cleric from the Syrian Armenian community was killed in a vicious attack in the area under the control of the terrorist organization PYD/YPG/PKK,” the Foreign Ministry said in a written statement.

“We condemn this terrorist act in the most powerful way and wish our condolences to the Syrian people,” read the statement.

The ministry said, “ISIL, PYD/YPG/PKK terrorist organizations operating in the region and targeting all Syrians, including Christians, are the usual suspects.”

Turkey, resolutely struggling against all kinds of terrorism derived from Syria, will act together with the international community to find the perpetrators of this terrorist attack, read the statement.

Joseph Hanna Ibrahim and his father were slain on Nov. 11 on the road to the eastern province of Deir Ezzor where they were to inspect a church being restored, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Their killing came the same day as a triple bombing in a market and near a school in Qamishli killed six civilians, the Britain-based war monitor said.

The France-based association L’Oeuvre d’Orient said Ibrahim had worked on “reconstruction projects” as well as to support displaced people in eastern Syria. Around a million Christians live in Syria, including in Qamishli.