WASHINGTON – For Rep.
"I can't help but think, 'Here we are again,'" said Eshoo, whose grandparents survived the early 20th century genocide. "It's like ripping a scab off of a wound.... History is repeating itself."
Eshoo, a Democrat from Menlo Park, joined other California representatives — including some with large Armenian American constituencies — to call attention to the rebel assault last month on the northern Syrian town of Kasab near the Turkish border and to press for humanitarian aid to the victims and an investigation into Turkey's role in the strike.
Syrian rebels, including some linked to Al Qaeda, crossed into Syria from Turkey on March 21, attacking the home to about 2,500 Armenian Christians and forcing many to flee. A week later, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Turkish Consulate in Los Angeles, accusing Turkey, which has called for Syrian President
Representatives of the Armenian National Committee of America, who joined several lawmakers at a Capitol Hill news conference Tuesday, called for, among other things, the U.S. to investigate Turkey's assistance to the rebels, facilitate the return of Syrian Armenians back to their homes, and provide at least $3.5 million in humanitarian assistance for displaced civilians from Kasab.
There was no immediate response from the Turkish Embassy in Washington.
Rep.
An estimated 1.2 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks as the empire was dissolving during World War I.
Resolutions have been repeatedly introduced in
"The United States cannot sit by idly while these extremists target civilians and force more than 2,000 in this instance to flee their homes,’’ said Rep.
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