Most of the current population of Assyrians in Hasakah dates back to the French Mandate of Syria , when refugees from the now-Turkish areas north of present-day Syria ( such as Tur Abdin ) were settled together with displaced Armenians who had survived the Assyrian Genocide and Armenian Genocide in the area by the authorities as part of an effort to promote economic development . Given preferential treatment on the basis of their Christian religion by the French , they soon formed most of the new urban elite in the region . An additional influx of Eastern Assyrians began to resettle along the Khabur River in 1933 after the massacres of Assyrians in newly-independent Iraq ( see Simele massacre ) forced the flight . These were refugees twice over — originally from the highlands of Hakkari , they had initially sought refuge amongst other Assyrians in Iraq in the face of the Assyrian genocide before the attacks
Simele massacre
Simele massacre
Syrian-Assyrians