ISIL militants abduct at least 90 Assyrian Christians in dawn raids across north-eastern Syria, activists claim
ISIL militants have seized at least 90 Assyrian Christians from villages in north-eastern Syria, activists report.
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According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the men, women and children were abducted at dawn on Tuesday (February 24) near the town of Tal Tamr in Hassakeh Province. Around 3,000 are believed to have escaped to the city of Hassakeh, which is under Kurdish control.
The region is strategically important to Islamic State fighters as it borders Turkey and areas they control in Iraq.
Tal Tamr has seen heavy clashes between ISIL militants and the Kurdish Popular Protection Units militia, the Syrian Observatory reports.
Tuesday’s abductions come as Syrian Kurdish fighters continue to progress into ISIL-held territory.
There are thought to be around 40,000 Assyrians in the country. The largest concentration is in Hassakeh Province, but there are also groups in Aleppo, Homs and Damscus.