Two Christian villages bombarded by jihadists

Hama – At least two civilians were killed and another twenty injured by grenades on Monday, December 21 by anti-regime jihadist fighters against the villages of Maharda and Sqelbyia, in the province of Hama.  The two towns, currently controlled by the government army, are inhabited by Orthodox Christians.  According to reports from local sources to Kurdish Ara News Agency, the bombings hit residential neighborhoods spreading panic among the local population, that was preparing the celebration of the holiday season. 

Maharda was the native village of Greek Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius IV of Antioch, who died in December 2012 at the age of 92.  The villages attacked have been under siege by armed Islamist groups for more than a year and a half.