Syria war draws in Christian musician and seven brothers

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* Christian family in Old City joined pro-govt militia in 2012 * Two brothers killed in battle last September * See Assad as bulwark against jihadists By Tom Perry and Laila Bassam DAMASCUS, Feb 24 (Reuters) - In the Old City of Damascus, the Syrian war drove eight Christian brothers to take up arms to defend their community from insurgents they saw as an existential threat. Two of the Dawoud brothers, born and raised in the ancient Christian quarter of Bab Touma, were killed last September battling jihadists who have come to dominate the insurgency against President Bashar al-Assad. "This is a battle of life or death," said Ibrahim Dawoud, 53, a picture of his two late brothers, killed fighting an al-Qaeda linked group, swinging in a hefty pendant from his neck.

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