Number of Christians kidnapped in ISIS offensive up to 220, Syria monitoring groups say, Activists monitoring the conflict in Syria said Thursday that the number of Christians kidnapped by ISIS terrorists in their most recent offensive has risen to at least 220.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the militant group has captured Assyrian Christians from 11 villages near the town of Tal Tamr in Hassakeh province.
The province, which borders Turkey and Iraq, has become the latest battleground in the fight against the ISIS in Syria. It is predominantly Kurdish but also has populations of Arabs and predominantly Christian Assyrians and Armenians.
ISIS began abducting the Assyrians on Monday, when militants attacked a cluster of villages along the Khabur River, sending thousands of people fleeing to safer areas. The Syriac National Council, a Syrian Christian group, told Reuters that hundreds of Christians have fled to the province's two main cities, Al-Hassakeh and Al-Qamishli, which are held by the Kurds.
Read MoreYounan Talia, a senior official with the Assyrian Democratic Organization, said IS had raided 33 Assyrian villages, picking up as many as 300 people along the way. It was not possible to reconcile the numbers, and the fate of the hostages remained unclear...........Read
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the militant group has captured Assyrian Christians from 11 villages near the town of Tal Tamr in Hassakeh province.
The province, which borders Turkey and Iraq, has become the latest battleground in the fight against the ISIS in Syria. It is predominantly Kurdish but also has populations of Arabs and predominantly Christian Assyrians and Armenians.
ISIS began abducting the Assyrians on Monday, when militants attacked a cluster of villages along the Khabur River, sending thousands of people fleeing to safer areas. The Syriac National Council, a Syrian Christian group, told Reuters that hundreds of Christians have fled to the province's two main cities, Al-Hassakeh and Al-Qamishli, which are held by the Kurds.
Read MoreYounan Talia, a senior official with the Assyrian Democratic Organization, said IS had raided 33 Assyrian villages, picking up as many as 300 people along the way. It was not possible to reconcile the numbers, and the fate of the hostages remained unclear...........Read
