WUNRN
International Business Times
SYRIA – ISIS KIDNAPS 150 ASSYRIAN CHRISTIANS, INCLUDING WOMEN
& CHILDREN
By Gianluca
Mezzofiore – August 7, 2015
The Islamic State (Isis) has allegedly
kidnapped about 150 Assyrian Christians after seizing the key town of
Qaryatain, in the central Homs province, from forces loyal to president Bashar
al-Assad. Sources from A Demand for Action (ADFA), an organisation campaigning
for Christian minorities in the country, said that 300 families managed to flee
from the area but some 142-150 people were abducted by the extremist group.
"People have
tried to reach their relatives on their mobile phones with no luck," said
a statement from the advocacy group. "The Islamic State has said that they
have 'arrested' more than 100 Assyrian/Syriacs from the town of Qaryatain in
Homs, Syria."
The kidnapping was
confirmed by the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights which reported
that 230 civilians from the town, including "dozens of Christians, 45
women, 19 children and 11 families", were abducted by IS.
Observatory chief
Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP that those abducted were wanted by the extremist
group for "collaborating with the regime", and that included at least
60 Christians.
Their names were on a
list used by the jihadists as they raided the town. Those who tried to flee
were quickly tracked down and abducted.
Some of Assyrians
were taken from the Syriac Catholic Mar Elian monastery, where priest Jacques
Mourad was abducted in May. Mourad was known to help both Christians and
Muslims and was preparing aid for the arrival of hundreds of refugees from
Palmyra.
The jihadist group
captured Qaryatain, which lies south-west of Palmyra Roman ruins and 85km from
Homs, after heavy clashes with regime forces. The Assyrians, also known as
Chaldeans, are an ancient ethnic group belonging to the Syriac Christianity and
speaking Aramaic.
Earlier in February,
IS kidnapped hundreds of Assyrians after a three-day assault on a chain of 10
Syrian villages in the north- eastern province of al-Hasakah. According to the
latest figures, at least 222 people are still missing.
UPDATE: Nuri Kino, founder of
ADFA, told IBTimes UK that the definitive number of Syriac Orthodox and
Syriac Catholics kidnapped by IS is 250. The figure comes from local churches'
records.
He added that 1,500
people who had fled Qaryatain just arrived in Homs, where the Syrian Orthodox Archdiocese
has launched a desperate appeal for water, food and medecins.
Kino said he spoke
with two refugees who have family members missing and they were screaming "When
will these atrocities against us stop?".
"We are
obviously asking Isis to release these innocent people, but we're losing hope
given what happened before in Syria," Kino said. "Around 222 people
are kidnapped and we don't know anything about their whereabouts."
Amnesty
International's Syria researcher Neil Sammonds said:
"The abhorrent
abduction in Syria of more than 200 people by Islamic State highlights the
dreadful plight of civilians caught up in the conflict in the country.
"The group must
respect the rules of war and immediately release these civilians unharmed.
"Every effort must be made to identify the perpetrators of these crimes and bring them to justice."