An activist group says the number of Assyrian Christians kidnapped by Islamic State militants in northeastern Syria has risen to at least 220. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the fighters captured people during the past three days as they took control of 10 villages in Hassakeh province. The Islamic State group has targeted religious minorities with kidnappings and killings during its spread across northern Iraq and Syria. In addition to those kidnapped in the province, activists say many more have fled from their homes to the main cities of Hassakeh and Qamishli. Kurdish fighters backed by days of airstrikes from a U.S.-led military coalition have also been battling the militants in the area. Earlier this week, the U.S. State Department called for the immediate release of the kidnapped Assyrian Christians. "ISIL's latest targeting of a religious minority is only further testament to its brutal and inhumane treatment of all those who disagree with its divisive goals and toxic beliefs," spokeswoman Jen Psaki said, using an acronym for the group. "ISIL continues to exact its evil upon innocents of all faiths, and the majority of its victims have been Muslims."
from Voice of America http://ift.tt/1LHqbAw
from Voice of America http://ift.tt/1LHqbAw
0 التعليقات:
إرسال تعليق