Islamic State Targeting Christian Villages in Syria

Reports out of Syria over the weekend indicated that the Islamic State (IS) terror militia had made a strategic decision to target Assyrian Christian villages in the northeastern region of the country for ethnic cleansing operations. Kurdish forces in the area attempted to defend the villages, leading to sharp clashes with many causalities on both sides. Airstrikes on IS by the Assad regime were also reported over the weekend in Hama Province. Meanwhile, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey appealed for “strategic patience” regarding the US-led campaign of air strikes on IS in Iraq and Syria, saying that precise intelligence in needed to avoid civilian casualties which would give a propaganda victory to IS. “Carpet bombing through Iraq is not the answer,” he said.