IS Jihadists Kidnap 90 Christians in Syria
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
The Islamic State group has seized at least 90 Assyrian Christians in Syria, in the jihadists' first mass kidnapping of Christians in the war-torn country, a monitor said Tuesday.
The abductions appeared to be in retaliation for a major Kurdish offensive aimed at recapturing nearby villages, and which has killed 132 jihadists in four days, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The Britain-based monitor said IS kidnapped the Assyrians on Monday after seizing two villages, Tal Shamiram and Tal Hermuz, in Hassakeh province from the control of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).
The group had no immediate details on those kidnapped, including whether women and children were among them, or where they were being held.
"The jihadists attacked the two villages in retaliation against the Kurds, who four days ago launched a bid backed by the U.S.-led coalition to reclaim villages around Tal Hamis, also in Hassakeh province," said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman.
"The fighting around Tal Hamis has killed at least 132 jihadists in four days, and four YPG fighters on Tuesday alone," he added.
"A fifth man, a Westerner who had traveled into Syria to fight alongside the YPG, was also killed."
There were just 30,000 Assyrians in Syria before the country's conflict erupted in March 2011, with most of them living throughout Hassakeh province.
They represent a tiny percentage of the country's overall pre-war Christian population, which numbered around 1.2 million people.
- Churches destroyed -
After IS attacked the two villages as well as the nearby town of Tal Tamr, which remains under Kurdish control, the jihadists set fire to a church there and then installed fighters in the remains of the building, an activist network reported.
The U.S.-led coalition fighting IS, which has backed Kurdish forces battling the group, then bombed the building on Monday, destroying it and killing IS militants inside, said the Syrian Revolution General Commission.
Control of Hassakeh province is largely divided between Kurdish forces, who in some places patrol with regime troops, and IS fighters.
Since recapturing the strategic border town of Kobane in Aleppo from IS fighters on January 26, YPG forces have taken dozens of nearby villages.
They have also seized 19 villages from IS in Raqa, where the jihadist group has its de facto capital, and another 30 villages and hamlets in Hassakeh.
The Kurdish advances have been aided by the U.S.-led air strikes, including a series in Hassakeh on Monday that killed at least 14 IS fighters, the Observatory said.
The mass IS abduction of Assyrians appeared to be the first of its kind in Syria, but the group has become infamous for its abuses, including the mass kidnapping of minority Kurdish Yazidis in Iraq.
It also abducted dozens of Kurdish students in Syria last year, freeing them only after months in captivity.
The group has destroyed Christian shrines and churches in the territory it controls in Syria and Iraq, and demanded a tax known as jizya from Christians who remain in its self-declared Islamic "caliphate".
It regularly refers to Christians as "crusaders," and has carried out brutal executions of foreigners held hostage in Syria.
Last week, the group's Libyan branch released a video showing the gruesome beheading of 21 mostly Egyptian Coptic Christians.
Pope Francis expressed "extreme sadness" over those killings.
The pontiff has frequently warned of the plight of the dwindling number of Christians in the Middle East.
24 February 2015, 11:36
2026
the whole world call these scum terrorists except naharnet wonder why ?!!!!
god bless democracy
24 February 2015, 13:32
2328
maybe because both naharnet and ISIS belong to oily sheikhs from the gulf?
24 February 2015, 14:38
2215
lol mowaten, you have some serious inferiority complex issues, always barking pointlessly and trying to convince yourself that everybody is stupid and you're the smart one, yet you were never able to make an articulate argument or point. The best you ever do is call names, yell a few read-made lines you heard daddy say, and add "HAHAHAHA" before or after it as if this makes them facts. Habibi, if you want to make a point be a big boy and provide supporting sources yourself, or ask your daddy where it came from
24 February 2015, 14:50
1719
Lol eagleyawn, it's not enough to steal my comments, you should also try to use them when relevant.
Besides, I'm sure your boss at hasbara inc wouldnt be happy to know you cheat and plagiarize your way to those 2 shekels/hour.
24 February 2015, 19:11
149
like iranians would give a damn what happens here... face it, nobody likes you and your fake accounts eaglyawn
25 February 2015, 09:11
33
"it is the fault of HA that IS kidnaped christians..mafi da3esh this is a joke": this is M14 logic :)
25 February 2015, 23:21
01
The irony is that you do not even know how correct your statement is.
24 February 2015, 11:59
218
what is amazing is that iran does the same like ISIS:
- they lash people
- they burn people
- ....
and it is all documented: just google it and you will see for yourselves documented acts.
so how are they different????
24 February 2015, 12:14
1521
Geha,
I'm as M14 as they come but why the hell wouldn't you just condemn the IS for what they have done to these people in Syria? We all know that iran doesnt have the worlds best human rights record but What does Iran have to do with the article or the situation??? Start Condemning IS and stop looking through sectarian goggles!
24 February 2015, 13:26
1420
hahahahaha geha is looking for similarities, but he doesnt dare look in the right places, because he cannot speak up against his master and king
want to see what ISIS law ressembles the most? look here
http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/default/files/images/user3303/imageroot/2015/01/20150123_saudi.jpg
24 February 2015, 13:30
2011
and when did i say that KSA was better?
delusional mowaten: I do not care less about all extremists, and I do not accept to be under farsi rule or anyone else for that matter.
24 February 2015, 13:35
1621
have you pledged allegiance to your new master yet? who did you chose? bag-daddy or king salmon?
24 February 2015, 14:48
226
Mowaten I'm not a big poster here but I have been using this site for over 30 years and recently I have been liking your posts, your the only one informing these deluded mammals. :)
24 February 2015, 15:08
1811
funny how moooowaten criticizes about pledging allegiance when his party is the only one to have pledged allegiance to IRAN! LOL
it shows how hypocrit that idiot is...
24 February 2015, 16:58
1011
Geha, is a self proclaimed Maronite from Keserouwn... but for some reason he always goes out of his way to defend extremists terrorists by blaming Iran or Hezbollah some how... soon we will hear the same from Anonymoustexas!
24 February 2015, 17:01
1011
waleed121... 30 years on this site? wallah you must be an alien that had this internet technology before the human beings!
24 February 2015, 13:34
1622
do you have an issue barryless? obsessed with me and seeing me everywhere? seek professional help!
24 February 2015, 14:20
2013
sorry mowaten, a fake account of yours popped up (now deleted) and he said " he was atheist gay and proud". I immediately thought of.
24 February 2015, 14:46
1718
sounds like your troll friends and their fake accounts. lame and not worth the time reading them, let alone discussing them.
24 February 2015, 13:11
00
That's almost as many as were kidnapped by the syrian army on 13th of october 1990.
24 February 2015, 14:26
1813
anonymetexasusa:
If you look at the history of the Syrian war and hezbollah heroics over there, NOT once did hezbollah ever engage ISIL in combat. They always attack the real rebels in Aleppo, Daraa, Yabrud, and Qusayr. I was reading an article by a British correspondent who made that observation.
24 February 2015, 17:18
1212
So barrymore... was ISIS and Al nusra not involved in the attack on the LAF in Arsel and the kidnapping of the 25 LAF and ISF security personnel? Are isis and al nusra faking the beheading of the ISF and LAF captives? You are defending attackers of our WATAN! They are killing our Lebanese security defenders! They kill sunni, shiite and christians! they would kill you and your family as well ya Barry! wake up !!
24 February 2015, 15:06
1316
yes, "never ever"! they send each other flowers and perfumed letters!
dude, please shot yourself w khalesna men habalak
24 February 2015, 15:45
147
not even in Qalamoun did they engage ISIL. They engaged the rebels and Nosra.
24 February 2015, 15:53
1115
This is what the army/resistance are trying to prevent in Lebanon. Yet they get smeared by the takfiris to do so.
24 February 2015, 16:41
912
Same goes for your beloved takfiris from all the world texas, the resistance will be more than happy to grind the takfiris in the meat locker to save all humankind.
24 February 2015, 19:17
77
texas, you want to leave the army to take care of the takfiris? You simply state, that you want the army to deal with heavily armed takfiris and highly skilled too. You want them to fight both ISIS and Nusra alone without any backup, but the western scrap metal they recieve. No texas, the Resistance will assist the LAF with every means possible.
The Resistance will not leave the army to fight these plagues alone. We are in the same foxholes in this war.
24 February 2015, 20:53
78
texas, the LAF have been using U.S donated weapons for over 40 years. Because they are not allowed to receive anything else, but American scrap metal, no new upgrades for the LAF. Just old unguided howitzers & M113s tin cans.
You still never answered my question, I will ask it again. I know i will never get an honest answer from you. I will ask this question everytime you start whining on my posts.
- If the LAF & Lebanon were such a good friend of the United States, then how come they don't provide the army more sophisticated weaponry?
24 February 2015, 16:12
1115
Do you really believe the Isis & Nusra will see any difference between the Lebanese & Syrians whom they all recognize as infidels?
24 February 2015, 16:13
1015
we've had this discussion many times before anonyme, you may like turning in circles but i get bored pretty fast. last time you denied there had been direct combat between isis and the syrian army, and i gave you half a dozen occurences along with news reports showing otherwise. what you did was like barry just did above: pretend you know better than all the reports (pro and anti-regime alike), and it wasn't "real isis"... you're a lost cause man, you're hopeless. i laugh around with you but not wasting my time trying to speak sense to you anymore.
24 February 2015, 17:11
811
anonymetexasusa... they engaged them in Lebanon! In Ras Baalbek, in the Arsel mountains! Ask the people of Ras Baalbek who they hope who is on their side with the LAF? Ask the people of Dier el Ahmar if they hate Hezbollah? ask the people from the town of Qaa! You are so removed from reality ya Texas!
24 February 2015, 17:22
712
May God give them the strength they will need! God speed, you heroes of civilisation!
24 February 2015, 17:33
811
What did the Assyrians do to the Lebanese ? can you justify that comment or is it just another random justification for ISIS killing?
24 February 2015, 17:46
116
Totally called it, suddenly the thumbs down come in such a sequential time, coincidence? And of course let the whining begin, as seen by "prombronfloweratentic"
24 February 2015, 17:50
116
Keep up the passive-aggressive fake accounts, if it makes you feel better.
24 February 2015, 17:57
106
Wow flamethrower, another fake one? Ok man, if it gets you excited...
24 February 2015, 18:08
79
texs... once again you distort reality! Ask the people of Ras Baalbek who they are arming themselves against? I never undermine or disrespect our heroic Watan! Ask them who their guns are pointed towards! Ask the people of Ras Baalbek if they hate or are afraid of hezbollah? You are the biggest idiot on this site!
The point is that this is not about iran or hezbollah... Its about al nusra and ISIS kidnapping christians and attacking christian villages! you are trying to change this fact that the majority of lebanese and syrians are against ISIS and Al nusra...except you and your israeli and Qatari, Turkish alliance! continue your pro isis and al nusra comments ya texas! the world is listening!
24 February 2015, 18:32
79
anonymetexasusa... understand something... its not up to you or russia or the usa or ksa! the people of syria are with Assad and that is all that matters! your option is nothing! The overwhelming majority of syrains (sunni, druze, allawites, christians) back Assad and the syrian government! This "rebellion" of ISIS and Al nusra is 25,000 foreigners from 30,000 strong force! 80% of the rebels are foreign islamist extremists! They are fighting a syrian government that the CIA has estimated has 75% local syrian support! Who are you to tell the syrians who their president or government should be? Shut up with your condescending comments!
24 February 2015, 22:21
11
The Islamic State group or what Bashar Assad calls "my favorite PR firm".
25 February 2015, 02:36
02
Can anyone here tell me what all these terrorist groups have in common?
