Rebels Kidnap Two Archbishops in Aleppo

<sup>Local Editor

The Syrian rebels kidnapped Monday the Syriac Orthodox Archbishop of Aleppo Youhanna Ibrahim and Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Aleppo and Iskanderun Boulos al-Yaziji.

According to the Lebanese National News agency, Archbishop Ibrahim picked up Archbishop Yaziji in his car from a village on the Turkish border and his deacon was driving the vehicle.

"When they arrived at the outskirts of the city of Aleppo, an armed group intercepted them and forced them to step out of the car, killing the driver and abducting archbishops Ibrahim and Yaziji," the agency added.

For its part, Syrian state agency reported: "Ibrahim and Yazigi were dragged from their car by terrorists after carrying out humanitarian work in the village of Kfour Dael in Aleppo province."
"Their driver, also a priest, was killed during the attack," media said.

A Syriac member of the opposition Syrian National Coalition, Abdel-Ahad Steifo, said the men had been kidnapped on the road to Aleppo from the rebel-held Bab al-Hawa crossing with Turkey.

Ibrahim, who had crossed there several times before, had gone to collect Yazigi and the two men were driving to Aleppo when they were kidnapped, Steifo said.

Earlier, Ibrahim publicly called for a cease-fire and a negotiated solution to the 2-year-old crisis.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by moqawama.org</sup>