Washington D.C. (International Christian Concern) – International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on September 7-8, 2018, several missiles were reportedly fired by al-Qaeda-linked rebels toward the predominately Christian town of Mhardeh, Syria. Reports indicate that the missiles carried cluster bombs, killing at least 10 civilians and seriously wounding at least 20 others.

 The densely populated town of Mhardeh is controlled by the Syrian government, which has retaliated by attacking nearby towns as part of the build-up to the offensive against Idlib Province. The province is the last remaining stronghold controlled by the opposition. 

 Al-Masdar News reported, “Due to its proximity to the jihadist held towns in northern Hama, Mhardeh has been a prime target for groups like Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham and the Free Syrian Army (FSA). The jihadist rebels launch this attack this evening in response to the large scale buildup of Syrian army troops in northwest Syria.”

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the attack against Mhardeh was launched by a faction called Ansar al-Tawhid, which “caused a massacre of 10 casualties. They are: a mother, her 3 children, their grandmother, as well as 2 other sisters and 3 other people… Ansar al-Tawhid claimed responsibility of the operation of targeting Muhradah town, where reliable sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that a four-wheel drive vehicle (4×4) with a missile launcher was noticed with another vehicle approaching a city controlled by the opposition, where it fired missiles targeting Muhradah town, then it withdrew from the area.” The Ansar al-Tawhid is connected to al-Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda affiliate.