'A Genocide Zone': Turkey Violates Syria Ceasefire as Kurds, Christians Forced from Their Homes

JERUSALEM, Israel - While many believe there is a ceasefire in place inside northeast Syria, the people on the ground tell a different story.  

On the front lines, a small Christian relief group called the Free Burma Rangers (FBR) is reporting that the ceasefire is in name only.

“We were hit pretty hard today. There was Turkish armor. Turkish painted armor. Three armored vehicles. Multiple infantry,” FBR director Dave Eubank told CBN News.

Eubank and his team have been rescuing the wounded and helping those caught up in the fighting. He says the Turkish army along with its jihadist allies is continuing the attack. 

“Right now, the only safe zone that there is is the international border between Turkey and Syria. The other zone is a genocide zone. Christians and Kurds are gone. They can’t stay. They will die. Those who’ve stayed will die. If you’ve seen anything about captured women, tortured and killed, that’s what’s going to happen if you stay there,” Eubank said.

Dalton Thomas, the founder of the Christian aid group called Frontier Alliance International, also says “there is no ceasefire.”

Thomas told CBN’s Ben Kennedy on Faith Nation on Monday there are two safe zones inside Syria. 

“One for religious minorities protected by the Kurds and one for ISIS protected by Turkey. And one safe zone was exposed yesterday with Abu al Baghdadi being killed. And we’re seeing how far this conspiracy is going to go.” 

Al Baghdadi’s safe house sat in a Turkish protected area. Thomas and several others believe Turkey shielded him. 

On Monday, Israel’s ambassador to the UN Danny Danon called out Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan by name.

“For years he has been destabilizing the region with violence and supporting terror organizations. Now his actions directly threaten the Kurdish people including innocent civilians. Erdogan is a threat to regional stability, to Turkish neighbors and to the Turkish democracy,” said Danon.

After Baghdadi’s death, Thomas sees a greater threat. 

“The Middle East is much more dangerous than it was even with his death because we’re seeing the rise of the true Islamic State which is the State of Turkey which is their open intention to restore the original caliphate which was disbanded in 1924,” said Thomas.

Recently, Turkey’s Defense Minister posted to his Facebook page a future map of Turkey that included parts of Syria, Iraq and Greece. 

Amid the crisis, Eubank and Thomas are praying for the US and the international community. 

 “I’m praying that our country changes and not only is guarding oil fields, which are important but even more important are people. That’s why you have oil, for people, and it’s their oil. So, we need to bring our troops back and draw a new line and say I’m sorry. We betrayed you. We told a lie. Please forgive us,” said Eubank.

Thomas is asking God to “protect innocent life.”

“Right now, we’re seeing innocent life snuffed out by a genocidal, jihadist regime that right now bears legitimacy because they’re part of NATO. At some point, it becomes an atrocity … my prayer would be that the international community would wake up to what’s actually happening to engage to stop it because we’re running out of time.”