Kessab is in peace, and there are clashes. This is what member of the Kessab Executive Body for Emergency Help and Recovery for Syrian-Armenians and press speaker of the Armenian community of Kessab Garo Manjigian mentioned in an interview with “Armenpress”, adding that the first season of harvest has begun and that people are busy with the harvest.

He also informed that several hundreds of citizens of Aleppo have recently moved to Kessab due to the situation in Aleppo. Among them are Armenians and Arabs. “They are especially the Armenians who have homes in Kessab and have moved there. What’s nice is that the citizens of Aleppo haven’t left the country and have stayed in their homeland, in a relatively safer place,” Manjigian mentioned, adding that life in Kessab is more or less active in spite of the fact that neighboring Turkey always makes them worried.

As far as the news on the Internet that forests are being burned in Kessab, Manjigian mentioned that there are forest areas at a distance of 10 kilometers near Kessab where there are soldiers releasing missiles. According to him, the Ratiha forest area is located in front of Kessab where there have been small fires. Although it’s sad that trees are damaged from fires, but from another perspective, the burning of the trees doesn’t let the soldiers hid there. “The war doesn’t spare any trees or people,” Manjigian mentioned. The press speaker said he was happy to mention that Kessab sent nearly 23 athletes to participate in the 6^th Pan-Armenian Games, which is commendable. Kessab was liberated by the Syrian army on June 15, and most of the residents have returned.

All homes, apartments and institutions of Kessab have suffered damages. The attack on Kessab began from eight points on the border with Turkey on March 21, 2014. The attack was perpetrated by the Jabha an Nusra and Jeish al Islam groups with the direct support of the Turkish government.