The Syrian president Bashar Al Assad marked Easter with a tour of an ancient Christian village recently liberated by his forces, an important symbolic prize for his government ahead of coming presidential elections he appears all but poised to win.
President Bashar Assad’s visit to Maaloula, some 40 miles northeast of Damascus, comes as a big propaganda victory for his government as it is widely seen as the sole protector of religious minorities in a war where extremist Islamist elements hold increasing sway among rebel forces.
Rebels, including fighters from the al Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front had captured the ancient village most recently in December. Government troops swept through the village on Monday, sending rebel fighters fleeing to nearby hills.
Despite damage to holy sites in the village, Assad told Syrian state television: “Maaloula will remain steadfast in the face of barbarism of all those who are targeting the homeland.”
“Nobody, regardless of the extent of their terror, can erase our cultural and human history,” the state news agency quoted Assad as saying as he surveyed damage to the Mar Takla Greek Orthodox monastery in the village.The
6000+ residents of Maaloula still speak the ancient language of Aramaic, the language of Jesus Christ
