Syrian churches call for aid amid Turkey's bombardment of Kurdish-controlled area

Churches in the Syrian city of Afrin are pleading for help from the international community amid deadly attacks carried out by Turkish forces on Kurdish-controlled areas in the war-ravaged nation.

Syrian priest Rev. Saeed Daoud, whose name has been changed at his request due to fear of retribution, has asked for prayers, saying the city was "full of life" just a few of days ago, "but today is not."

"The brutal attack of the Turkish military with extremist Islamic groups has been carried out, without any warning," he told Catholic News Service in an email, referring to the non-stop shelling and ground offensive in the city since Jan. 20.

Turkey's military campaign in Afrin, which lies approximately 30 miles from Aleppo, began last week on grounds that Kurdish militias pose a "security" threat.

A number of civilians have been killed and thousands have fled their homes as a result of the clashes between Syrian Democratic Forces and Turkish-led forces, which include allied militant factions.

Fr. Emanuel Youkhana, an archimandrite of the Assyrian Church of the East, said that he was shocked by "another brutal and violent attack" on residents of Afrin, noting that the community is still hoping to move forward from the defeat of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

"Here again, the innocent civilians are paying the price for political interests under the pretext of fighting against the terrorist," said Youkhana, who runs Christian Aid Program Northern Iraq, which provides aid to displaced Iraqis around the city of Dahuk.

Hakim Ali Ismael, a senior pastor of a network of churches in Afrin and Kobane, wrote an open letter to international leaders to ask for intervention and protection against the attacks.

"Many lives are in mortal danger. We are unable to protect ourselves or our families against these attacks, neither are we able to offer assistance or shelter to the innocents. Please help us," he wrote.

The letter indicated that there are more than 200 Christian families living in Afrin, which is an isolated part of the Syrian federation bordering areas controlled by Islamist rebels and the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Daoud pointed out that the city only has four hospitals, which are now packed with "injured people and wounded innocent children." He further noted that there have been reports that some women have miscarried "due to shock and fear."

On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis called on Turkey to use restraint in its operations in Syria, warning that it could be exploited by ISIS and Al-Qaeda and it "risks exacerbating the humanitarian crisis that most of Syria is going through."

The Turkish military launched the Operation Olive Branch on Saturday in an attempt to oust the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) from the region. The YPG has been a crucial part of a U.S.-backed alliance effectively battling against ISIS and other jihadists in northern Syria but it has been branded as a terrorist group by the Turkish government.