Under siege from 7 years, 20.000 Christians are bombed by terrorists. No media talks about them. They are alone fighting to survive. Powerless, they saw the convoys of jihadists transferred to Idlib pass by. 160 dead. Innocent civilians, fathers and teenagers, grieving families.

Night falls on Syria . North of the city of Hama, a freezing rain sweeps the small town of Mhardeh. In the car, I am accompanied by Salem, a Damascene Christian who fought for more than five years to defend this city, which has become a symbol of Syrian resistance to international terrorism. The military controls intensify until we arrive at Mr. Simon's office, head of the National Defense Force in Mhardeh .

We are expected, the soldiers open the large door. Getting out of the car, the heavy atmosphere of war vanishes and we hear the typical Syrian welcome phrases, the ones that make you immediately feel at home. Accompanied by three armed soldiers, we begin to gather in front of the martyrs' tree: one hundred portraits in memory of those who fell under the bombs that wounded the city for more than seven years. I noticed that of a teenager, barely out of childhood, with dark blue eyes.

We gather for a few moments. Mr. Simon welcomes us into his office with open arms. Instinctively, this man inspires immense respect, without being inaccessible, on the contrary. In the middle of the neck, the scar from a bullet that failed to kill him is impressive. His smile instantly erases these stigmata of war. Mr. Simon survived three assassination attempts. He personally organizes the defense of his land, of his city, of his house, of the families of Mhardeh.

He simply tells us about his life as a soldier, of the tests it entails, of material difficulties, of the training of his men. It shows us, amused, the way they talk about him in the pro-jihadist media, the so-called massacres of which he is accused, the way it is tarnished.

It seems that he is unshakable. In the worst moments of the Battle of Mhardeh , a few years ago, Mr. Simon held firm where even the Russian army wanted to retreat. Afterwards we talk to the soldiers. Students, butchers, bakers, engineers. The war took their lives to make them soldiers. Forced into the heroism of the battlefield. It is perhaps precisely this attachment to their city, to their profession, to their dreams that gives them the strength to fight. Mr. Simon then takes us home.

His wife welcomes us as if we were her family. Several women in town are here, they come to seek comfort and support from the one he has become, in fact, the hero of the city. Mr. Simon picks up his grandson, which bears his name. The little one is nine months old, it grows gently to the sound of missile and mortar attacks, but in the midst of a loving and strong family. It's a festive atmosphere, the hero's return home.

The battle commander returns to his role as grandfather and indulges in tenderness with "little Simon". And with us he evokes his concern: because he resisted, his children and grandchildren will always be under the threat of revenge.

In the house, hidden from the eyes of children, there are weapons that recall everyday warfare. And if that wasn't enough, the incessant radio or telephone calls received by the military commander would be sufficient. He answers each of them, without leaving his nephew's arms. Our next day in Mhardeh will be punctuated by bombings of the city and its surroundings. The explosions are sometimes deafening and long, sometimes short and very strong.

Let's do the job we came for. The boss's wife leads us to the needy families that we help in the best possible way through donations. Every trip must be fast, you often have to take shelter. No shot will fall in our vicinity and we are awaiting authorization from Mr. Simon's wife, informed live, to move from one point to another. We realize the effects of the heavy atmosphere of war on these civilians.

Late afternoon, we rejoice with the soldiers seeing from afar the missile fire that the National Defense Force sends to counter jihadist attacks. Behind this hill, on the horizon, there are the positions of the terrorists. It's a day without deaths in Mhardeh , but the material damage is heavy. Once or twice a week, the terrorists are violating the ceasefire that they themselves asked for. Depending on the dark decisions made by the international community, Mhardeh resists.

To defend his way of life, his community, his city and his family, the Christian must take up arms and, if necessary, give his life. The war is still very present in Syria. We return to Damascus the next day, with my heart to this city and its defenders. Our passage was an opportunity to evaluate the needs a little better and allow us to return with more concrete help to the civilians and soldiers of Mhardeh. Fighting international terrorism on their territory, they also defend all those who confront him, including Europeans. Our debt is enormous, also our gratitude.

source – http://www.centrostudifederici.org/siria-cristiani-trincea-terroristi/