Islamist rebels who captured the northern city of Idleb last Saturday said a number of procedures were taken to secure the Christian community in the captured city.
Rebel commanders of Ahrar al-Sham movement told Zaman al-Wasl that the Fatah Army, an alliance of Islamist groups, had stressed the importance of securing and protecting all civilians, including Christian neighborhoods in the city. The statement came the day after two Christians were killed for reportedly selling alcohol.
A Zaman al-Wasl reporter said a number of Christian families refused to flee the city despite the deteriorating situation due to daily aerial bombardment by the Syrian regime air force. At least 55 people have been killed since Saturday, activists and monitoring groups said.
Activists also claim regime militants are responsible for looting monuments from Idleb’s museum days before the fall of the city.
Nusra Front leader Abu Mohamad al-Golani indicated on Wednesday that Idleb would be ruled according to Islamic sharia law but the group would not seek to monopolize power there, according to Reuters.
Golani also said residents of the northwestern city of Idleb would be treated well by his fighters and other Islamist factions that captured the city on Saturday.
"We salute the people of Idleb and their support of their sons, the Mujahideen, … and God willing they will enjoy the justice of sharia, which will preserve their religion and their blood," Golani said in an audio recording posted on Nusra Front-affiliated online media.
