Daughter of imprisoned Christian Syrian urges Trump to intervene

The family of Suleiman Khalil, a former mayor in Sadad, Syria, is urging U.S. officials to intervene after he spent 19 months in detention without charges under the Syrian transitional government.

Khalil was arrested and detained Feb. 8, 2025. His daughter and advocacy group Christian Solidarity International (CSI) have urged U.S. governmental intervention.

Veronica Dudo, “EWTN News Nightly” anchor, interviewed Khalil’s daughter, Natalie Khalil, and Joel Veldkamp, CSI director for public advocacy, on Sept. 14 about the detention, the state of U.S.-Syrian relations, and Natalie’s recent letter to President Donald Trump appealing for help.

“It’s been 19 months since they got him. We don’t know why they got him. They didn’t claim that they have any charges against him. We weren’t allowed to get a lawyer. They came to our house and said, ‘He was wanted,’” she said.

Khalil, known for his Christian faith, gained wide respect in 2015 when he organized the defense of Sadad during an ISIS assault, an effort credited with saving more than 9,000 residents.

Veldkamp said: “Suleiman Khalil is very well known in Syria for saving the town.”

He received an early warning that ISIS, a…