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Syria: Islamic State Frees 22 Assyrian Christians Syria: Islamic State Frees 22 Assyrian Christians
(about 2 hours later)
The Islamic State has released 22 of the dozens of Assyrian Christians it abducted this year from villages in northeastern Syria, a monitoring group said Tuesday. It was not clear how many Assyrians remained in the hands of the Islamist militants, but Rami Abdulrahman, head of the monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, put the number at more than 150. The Islamic State, also known as ISIS, seized more than 200 Assyrians in February when its fighters overran more than a dozen villages near the northeastern city of Hasaka. The head of an Assyrian group in Sweden, Afram Yakoub, confirmed the release and said all of the freed captives were elderly. Mr. Abdulrahman said a ransom had been paid, but Mr. Yakoub denied the claim. “We believe they released them because of health issues and because they are old,” Mr. Yakoub, chairman of the Assyrian Federation of Sweden, said. In March, the group released 19 other captives. The Islamic State has released 22 of the dozens of Assyrian Christians it abducted this year from villages in northeastern Syria, a monitoring group said Tuesday. It was not clear how many Assyrians remained in the hands of the Islamist militants, but Rami Abdulrahman, head of the monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, put the number at more than 150. The Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, seized more than 200 Assyrians in February when its fighters overran more than a dozen villages near the northeastern city of Hasaka. The head of an Assyrian group in Sweden, Afram Yakoub, confirmed the release and said all of the freed captives were elderly. Mr. Abdulrahman said a ransom had been paid, but Mr. Yakoub denied the claim. “We believe they released them because of health issues and because they are old,” Mr. Yakoub, chairman of the Assyrian Federation of Sweden, said. In March, the group released 19 other captives.