Raffi Bchakjian, leader of defense of Armenian neighborhoods in Aleppo, was killed from a rocket attack on June 10.

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Bureau issued a statement mourning the loss of the leader of the defense of the Armenian neighborhoods of Aleppo, Unger Raffi Bchakjian, who was killed in a rocket attack on June 10, while on duty. Bchakjian was born in 1961.

In recent weeks, Aleppo’s Armenian-populated districts have been under attack. Several civilians have been reported killed between May 26 and June 10, including Maral Guligian, Vazken Jabaghchourian, Levon Kelkhacherian, Hovsep Janessian, Khatchig Aboulaboutian, and Betty Nersessian.

The attacks, which have reportedly come from militant opposition groups, have injured several civilians and destroyed many buildings, including homes and stores. On May 26-27, the Vergine Gulbenkian Birthing Center-Hospital, which had served as a senior citizen’s home during the war, was extensively damaged in a rocket attack. As a result of the attack, the senior citizens of the center were relocated for the third time since 2012.

Below is the statement by the ARF Bureau.

“With great sorrow, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Bureau mourns the loss of a dedicated ARF member and leader of the defense of the Armenian neighborhoods of Aleppo, unger Raffi Bchakjian, who was killed on June 10, while on duty.