Epress.am News from Armenia
During the fighting in Kessab, there were no casualties among the Armenian population but the calculations after inhabitants fled to Latakia showed that 30–40 people were left in Kessab and their fate is unknown, said Kessab Armenian Serj Kalukian at a press conference in Yerevan, stressing that the videos shared online in recent days are not true.
Note, the day after rebels attacked the Armenian-populated town in northwestern Syria, Asbarez.com reported that there were 80 deaths.
Kalukian found it difficult explain the reason for the abundance of misinformation in the press but assured that it not only worries, but also harms the Kessab population.
"Fighting in Kessab continues till today. First, we lost the entire region of Kessab, but the army and the government are making great efforts to get it back. According to the latest information, the army dealt strong blows to the rebels, who, with the help of the Turkish army, invaded and captured Kessab," he said.
According to the Kessab Armenian, everything began at 6 am on March 21, when the entire population of Kessab, including Armenians, was awakened by bombings.
"It was the first time that such powerful ammunition was used on Syrian territory. Kessab's self-defense forces urge people to leave and seek shelter in the upland Ekizolukh, with the hope that everything will be over soon. A few hours later, however, when it emerged that there was no hope for calm, those in charge of the community sent the people of Kessab to Latakia. They evacuated the people through different means: some, with their own cars; others, with a neighbor. Thus, helping each other, they went and sought shelter in Latakia's St. Mary Church," he said.
According to the latest reports, the church now houses 600 families displaced from Kessab, who in one week were allocated a home and their basic needs were met.