TEMPO.CO, Damascus – The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has abducted Assyrian Christians in northeast Syria. The number of Assyrians kidnapped is estimated from 70 to 150.
The abductions occurred after ISIS fighters seized Assyrian villages from Kurdish forces in the province of Hassakeh on Monday. The villages were located near the mainly Assyrian town of Tel Tamr.
The Syriac National Council Syria, a group representing domestic and foreign NGOs, told Reuters that it had verified at least 150 people missing, including women and elderly, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 90 people had been abducted.
According to Al Jazeera, the abduction seemed to be in direct response to recent advantages made by Kurdish forces in northeast Syria. Hassakeh has been divided between Kurdish and ISIS control.
Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) fighters have launched massive assaults on the province in recent days. They have taken over 24 villages as part of an operation to take back the town of Tal Hamis and surrounding areas.
YPG forces have also been on the offensive in Raqqa province, which neighbors Hassakeh, and have seized 19 villages following their recapture of the strategic town of Kobane last month. The Kurdish forces have been backed by US-led air strikes.
Northeast Syria is a strategic region in combating ISIS because it borders territory controlled by the ISIS in Iraq. ISIS has destroyed churches and Christian sites in Syria, and demanded that Christians living under its rule pay a tax known as jizya.
AL JAZEERA | INDAH P.
