During the commemoration held by the Coordination and Consultation Committee of our national parties in Syria, marking the tenth anniversary of the Khabour Resistance against the invasion of the terrorist organization ISIS into the villages of Khabour, the Co-Chair of the Syriac Union Party in Syria, “Shamiram Danho,” delivered a speech in which she said:
“Today, with reverence and great respect, we remember the souls of our righteous martyrs from the Syriac Military Council and the Khabour Guards, who displayed a historic resistance in halting and obstructing the advance of the terrorist organization, killing many of its members, in this resistance of our Syriac-Assyrian people, which was waged in defense of the people and the land.
This resistance marked a new era for the Syriac-Assyrian people and forever closed the chapters of submission and defeatism. From here, from the land of Khabour, the journey of struggle and freedom began, a path where many martyrs ascended. Through their precious sacrifices, they granted us a free and dignified life.
In these moments, we can only reaffirm that walking in their path is our goal and the goal of every free and honorable person. We will continue to bear this responsibility and take pride in their struggle and sacrifices until the objectives are achieved.”
Danho continued:
“On this occasion, we also stand in reverence for the souls of the civilians who perished at the hands of ISIS, who executed them in a clear message to our Syriac-Assyrian people, seeking to displace them from their land, as part of a historical series of previous attempts, employing various methods that collectively led to our people living in diaspora, far from their homeland, history, roots, and civilizations that have contributed to serving all of humanity.
Indeed, it was a genocide against a peaceful people living in their villages. It was preceded by the systematic displacement of our people in the Nineveh Plain in Iraq by the same terrorist organization, while the world’s clocks stood still and remained silent in the face of these massacres. However, the most important principle remains the will of the people and the self-sacrificing spirit, which creates the impossible—not surrendering or relying on outsiders.
The components of the region, through their unity, wrote a new chapter in the pages of glorious history, cooperating together to liberate those villages from ISIS and defeat its forces. They offered martyrs from all communities—Arabs, Kurds, and Syriac-Assyrians—who later managed to eliminate the so-called ISIS state, crush it with the cooperation of the International Coalition, and achieve accomplishments that gained the world’s admiration and respect for the heroism demonstrated by the region’s people.”
Danho continued:
“Out of the historical responsibility entrusted to all of us, and in faith in the humanitarian principles followed by our righteous martyrs from all components of the Syrian Democratic Forces and Internal Security Forces, we affirm the continuation of our political struggle in the Syriac Union Party in defense of our national and patriotic goals and the achievements realized alongside our Kurdish and Arab partners through the Democratic Autonomous Administration. We will always work to defend it, as it is today the only path to saving the peoples from the strife and conspiracies being plotted against them by forces and states that always seek to impose their authority and projects at the expense of the region’s peoples. The lessons of Sayfo (the Assyrian genocide) are the best example, and today history repeats itself through the current Turkish regime, which opposes any democratic project and seeks to destroy the will of the peoples. However, the resistance at Tishrin Dam was the best response and a new symbol of an unbreakable will that will not be defeated by hostile and dark forces.”
She concluded her speech by saying:
“Today, Syria, after the fall of the defunct Assad regime, needs the efforts of all Syrians who believe in a just and sustainable political solution, those who believe in Syria’s rise from the rubble to become strong and united again. We strive to build a Syria that grants all components their rights, establishes justice and equality, and seeks a democratic, pluralistic, decentralized state. With the will and spirit of those who have achieved the impossible in North and East Syria, this vision will be realized, reaching all Syrians with modern, civilized concepts that establish social peace and coexistence for all Syrians.
Glory and eternity to our righteous martyrs. Victory to the cause of our Syriac-Assyrian people.”
