Syrian Horror as Hundreds Slaughtered, Chaos Breaks Out: 'Likely to Get Worse'

With dire reports of mass killings coming out of Syria, one expert is sounding the alarm about the dangerous situation on the ground. Joel Veldkamp, head of international communications at Christian Solidarity International, told CBN News he believes there could be thousands of people killed in Syria amid murderous unrest. "There's a list circulating of 717 names of Alawite Muslim civilians who were killed in the last few days, and that list was circulated on Saturday," he said. "It's now Monday, and the killings haven't stopped as far as we can tell. It's extremely grave." Veldkamp said armed forces loyal to Syria's new government have attacked the region, where most of the residents are part of the Alawite Muslim sect. "This is a sect of Islam that the jihadists worldview would consider an apostate sect, which means they're outside the law, they're outside of protection, they can be killed, they can be enslaved, really seen as worse than Christians and Jews, as some jihadists will say," he said. "This is kind of what we were afraid of three months ago when this rebel coalition by the Assad regime." Despite the horror inflicted under former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, Veldkamp noted that those who overthrew the regime — under the control of Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa — are jihadists whom he said have been "preaching this horrible message of Sunni Muslim supremacy." "I'm afraid it's very bad and it is likely to get worse," Veldkamp added. While some headlines and videos circulating have alleged that Christian minorities are being targeted, he said he has heard of only a few cases of Christians being killed and, from his perspective, it does not at this time seem to be a systematic problem at this juncture. Al-Sharaa was the leader of the al-Qaeda in Syria, which adds chaos into the mix — and uncertainty. Watch Veldkamp explain. Want more news from a Christian Perspective? Choose to support CBN: https://go.cbn.com/ugWBn CBN News. Because Truth Matters™ Download the free CBN News App: http://cbnnews.com/app SUBSCRIBE to the CBN News Channel for more: http://youtube.com/c/CBNnewsonline/?sub_confirmation=1 SUBSCRIBE to the QuickStart Newsletter by visiting quickstart.news SUBSCRIBE to the Quickstart Podcast. New episodes every morning at 7am: cbn.com/cbnnews/quickstart What's coming up next? Have a look at our program guide: https://www.youtube.com/redirect?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww1.cbn.com%2Fcbnnews%2Fnewschann&redir_token=3Xja-7LE5ZQebEu1fn-B5ib34tN8MTU3OTg4MjMzMkAxNTc5Nzk1OTMy&v=P0mHVeNNfDw&event=video_description CBN features 24-hour TV news from a Christian perspective. The CBN News Channel provides independent news programming to an underserved audience to enlighten, entertain and inspire Christians around the world. Comments below do not necessarily reflect the views of CBN. Share this live feed with your friends and family: https://www.youtube.com/c/CBNnewsonline Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cbnnews/ Like us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CBNNews Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cbnnews/ Contact News Editors: https://www.youtube.com/redirect?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww1.cbn.com%2Fcontact%2Fcontact-&redir_token=3Xja-7LE5ZQebEu1fn-B5ib34tN8MTU3OTg4MjMzMkAxNTc5Nzk1OTMy&v=P0mHVeNNfDw&event=video_description Questions about other CBN programs: Visit WatchCBNNews.com or call (888) 700-7000. Questions about supporting CBN News? Visit JoinCBNNews.com or call (888) 700-7000 for more information. Questions about Helping the Home Front? Call: 800-700-7000 https://www.youtube.com/redirect?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww1.cbn.com%2F700club%2Fhelping-&redir_token=3Xja-7LE5ZQebEu1fn-B5ib34tN8MTU3OTg4MjMzMkAxNTc5Nzk1OTMy&v=P0mHVeNNfDw&event=video_description #breakingnews #politicalnews #christiannews #christian #christianity #church #breakingnews #cbnnews