BREAKING: Syria: ISIS Abduct At Least 150 Christians From Assyrian Christian Villages, Including Women And Children - See more at:
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SIS is holding many more Assyrian Christians hostage than previously thought -- and it is reportedly planning to release a message Wednesday threatening to kill them.Osama Edward, founder of the Assyrian Human Rights Network, told CNN that the extremist group is now believed to have 150 hostages, citing the latest information from the network's team on the ground.Initial estimates put the number seized at between 70 and 100 people, among them women, children and the elderly.
The Assyrians were kidnapped early Monday from villages near Tal Tamer in northeastern Syria.
Edward, who has family in the area attacked by the terror group, said the latest information from the ground indicated the hostages had been moved to an ISIS-controlled location.
The activist organization Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently also said on Twitter that ISIS has moved a number of Assyrian captives to Raqqa, an ISIS stronghold.
The last message received from the hostages was a text from a kidnapped woman to her husband, Edward said. She said the kidnappers were interrogating the hostages about whether the women were members of local militias.
Edward said he feared the hostages would face the same fate as Assyrians targeted in Iraq and the more than 20 members of Egypt's Coptic Christian minority slaughtered by ISIS in Libya last month.
"Maybe they are facing the same destiny. That's why we call on all over the world, like the U.S, Europe, coalition forces -- protect Assyrians, save Assyrians in Syria," he said.
"They are facing death, people are unarmed, they are peaceful. And they need help, they are just left alone -- no one's protecting them."
Edward said some 35 Assyrian villages and towns had now been taken over by ISIS, forcing thousands of families to flee.Some 600 families have taken refuge in St. Mary's Cathedral in al-Hasakah, Syria, he said Tuesday.The Assyrians lack food, water, blankets and other necessities after years caught in the middle of a civil war.ISIS has attacked numerous minority groups during a bloody campaign to create a vast caliphate across Syria and Iraq under its extreme version of Sharia law.
The Assyrians have a history dating back some 4,000 years to the time of Mesopotamia, considered one of the cradles of civilization and the birthplace of writing and literature. While their first religion was Ashurism, Assyrians have been predominantly Christian since the third century."How can Syria be Syria without the Assyrians? We gave the country our name," Edward said.
The United States condemns "in the strongest possible terms" the latest kidnapping of Assyrians and demands their immediate release, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement Tuesday.
"Hundreds of other civilians remain trapped in villages surrounded by ISIL fighters, and clashes continue between ISIL and local forces defending their communities," she said, using an alternative acronym for ISIS.
"ISIL burned and destroyed homes and churches, and the violence has reportedly displaced more than 3,000 people.
The Assyrians are a proud group that's overcome a lot in their history. They can trace their roots back some 4,000 years to the time of Mesopotamia, considered one of the cradles of civilization and birthplace of writing and literature. While their first religion was Ashurism, Assyrians have been predominantly Christian since the third century.
"How can Syria be Syria without the Assyrians?" Edward said. "We gave the country our name.
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