#Syria: stark example of how weapons are still circulating in #Homs. Today, dozens of armed tribesmen gathered to protest the arrest of their leader (Sheikh) for unknown reasons, firing heavily in the city as a demonstration of force.

Last night U.S. forces, in coordination with the Armed Forces of Nigeria, killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki and other ISIS leaders. Back in November 2025, President Trump declared to the world that we will help protect Christians in Nigeria and instructed the Department of War to prepare for action. So, for months, we hunted this top ISIS leader in Nigeria who was killing Christians, and we killed him—and his entire posse. In conjunction with Nigeria’s President, and at the direction of President Trump, U.S. Africa Command oversaw a precise operation to remove this terrorist. Abu-Bilal al-Minuki was the senior ISIS General Directorate of Provinces Emir — the number two for ISIS globally — responsible for overseeing the planning of attacks, directing hostage-taking and managing financial operations. The removal of him and other ISIS personnel makes Americans safer by further degrading ISIS’s ability to plan and carry out attacks that threaten the U.S. homeland, American citizens, and innocent civilians. Operations like last night’s demonstrate the exceptional lethality, patience and skill of U.S. forces, amplified alongside willing and capable partners, to address shared threats. This should serve as a reminder that we will hunt down those who wish to harm Americans or innocent Christians, wherever they are.

The Chaldean bishops gather in the Holy City of Rome to prayerfully discern whom the Holy Spirit is calling to serve as the next Patriarch. As brothers in Christ, we seek wisdom & guidance in our decisions for the good of our Church & its future. We humbly seek your prayers.

Happy Easter from NE Syria! ✝️ While I’m missing my family this morning, I feel incredibly blessed to celebrate among one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, in the very heart of where Christianity began. Normally, Easter is on different dates for the churches in the East and rhe West. This year, th Christians of the world are celebrating together. I am in the oldest church in Qamishli. Many Syriac-Assyrian Christians here are descendants of those who fled the Armenian-Assyrian Genocide starting in 1914—escaping the Ottoman Empire, now Turkey, whose borders are just a few miles from here. Others also had family that survived the 1933 Semile Massacre in nearby Iraq. And just ten years ago, ISIS targeted this community in the nearby Khabur Valley for genocide—killing several and kidnapping over 250. Not a single one of them renounced their faith, even under threat of death. They have endured so much over the years, but today they gather to celebrate the one who gives us reason for our faith. The Syriac-Assyrian Christians here in NE Syria have played a critical role in building an inclusive regional government creating some of the best religious freedom conditions in the region. As they now look to integrate into the new Syrian government, they are hoping to preserve these conditions and the government and civic institutions that help create them. Please pray for the people of Syria during this crucial transition, especially the Alawites and other targeted with horrific violence in the coastal areas on March 8. This Easter, I am praying for peace, stability, and equal citizenship for all of Syria.