Assad posted Black’s letter to his Facebook page on Sunday. Va. lawmaker praises Syria's Assad

In a letter to Bashar Assad, Virginia state Sen. Richard Black called the Syrian president “heroic” and commended him and the country’s armed forces for “exhibit[ing] extraordinary gallantry in the war against terrorists.”

“I write to thank the Syrian Arab Army for its heroic rescue of Christians in the Qalamoun Mountain Range,” the letter begins.


Assad posted Black’s letter to his Facebook page on Sunday. The Washington Post later confirmed that Black, a Republican from the 13th District in Northern Virginia, had sent the letter.

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“You have followed the practice of your father by treating with respect all Christians and the small community of Jews in Damascus,” Black wrote. “You defended their churches and the Jewish synagogue and you have permitted them to worship freely according to their beliefs. I am grateful for that.”

Dated April 1, the note comes after three years of civil war in Syria. In August 2011, President Barack Obama called for Assad’s resignation. The Syrian strongman has been accused of civil rights abuses, including responsibilityfor the deaths of about 100,000 people in the civil war.

“I pray that the Syrian armed forces will continue to exhibit extraordinary gallantry in the war against terrorists,” the letter read.

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It closed by asking that Assad “please convey my personal thanks to the Syrian Arab Army and the Air Force for protecting all patriotic Syrians, including the religious minorities who face death at the hands of the foreign jihadists.”