Two Missing Armenian Soldiers Killed in Aleppo

ALEPPO, Syria (A.W.)—Two Armenian soldiers who had been missing after an attack in southwestern Aleppo were killed, reported Aleppo-based Armenian news outlet Kantsasar.

Harout Kahkejian and Jano Semerjian—two members of the Syrian Army—were reported to be missing after an attack by rebel forces on the area near the Al Hikmah School, which took place a few months ago.

In the last few days, the Syrian army reclaimed the area overtaken by rebel forces, at which time it became clear that Kahkejian and Semerjian were killed.

Semerjian’s funeral took place at Aleppo’s St. Mary (Sourp Asdvadzadzin) Armenian Apostolic Church on Nov. 11. Lahkejian’s funeral will take place tomorrow.

The death of the two servicemen comes a little more than a month after two members of the Armenian Defense Units of the Armenian neighborhoods of Aleppo—Kaspar Shatoyan (b. 1986) and Movses Movsesian (b.1987)—were killed by rebel-led rocket attack in the Armenian-populated Nor Kyugh district of Aleppo on Oct. 5.

Aleppo-based Armenian news service Kantsasar news reported that the death of the two Syrian-Armenian men happened in the afternoon of Oct. 5. Hagop Abraham Challakian (b. 1959) was among the injured from the attack, but later succumbed to his severe injuries after being taken to the hospital. According to the report, two other Armenian men—Varoujan Donabedian and Shahe Panoyan—were also injured in the attack.

Shatoyan, Movsesian, and Challakian were laid to rest on Oct. 6 in Aleppo.