Turks Target Ambulances in Northern Syria: Food, Other Necessities in Short Supply
CBN News Contributing Correspondent Chuck Holton is in Syria right now with the Free Burma Rangers to provide medical care to displaced refugees, soldiers — anyone who needs it.
CBN News spoke to Holton by telephone on Thursday. He was reporting from the town of Tal Afar, which has about 15,000 families living there. It's located about 35 miles south of the border with Turkey.
Holton said the city of Ras al-Ayn has been surrounded by the Turks, and there's a tremendous amount of casualties apparently inside the city. But Turks are not allowing them out.
Holton explained he was at the hospital in Tal Afar, which is the nearest collection point for casualties from the fighting. He said the hospital only has one patient right now because every time they send an ambulance up to the north it gets bombed by the Turks.
"So the Turks are actively bombing ambulances — which is a war crime — as they try to get people out of that area," Holton noted. "They've been unable to get anybody out. So far they have treated over 650 people since the fighting began at this casualty collection center where I'm standing."
When asked about humanitarian supplies, he said the local people were short on everything — electricity, running water, food, and medicines.
"Part of the reason for that,” Holton explained, “is most of those kinds of supplies used to come from Turkey but now that the border is closed the people in northern Syria are really having a hard time meeting even their basic needs."
If you'd like to join the effort to help Syrian refugees, you can donate to Operation Blessing's Disaster Relief Fund by calling 800-700-7000 or texting "OBRefugee" to 71777. You can also CLICK HERE to find out how you can help.
In a post to his Facebook page, Holton wrote that "Syrian Christian men are fleeing across to Iraq in advance of the arrival of the Syrian army in this area, because the Syrian army is practicing forced conscription. These men don't want to get forced to fight for Assad.”
In another post, he also asked for his friends and followers to keep his team in prayer as they moved closer to the fighting.
