MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Islamic State (ISIL) extremist group kidnapped 220 Assyrians over the past three days, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported Thursday.
The Assyrians are said to have been abducted from 11 villages near the town of Tell Tamer in northeastern Syria and taken to the Abd al-Aziz mountains.
The ISIL is in control of 10 Assyrian villages in the Tell Tamer area, according to SOHR.
The organization reported that the release of the hostages is under negotiation. The talks are mediated by Arabian tribes and an Assyrian representative.
Islamic State has been operating in Syria since 2012, where more than 3.7 million people are currently displaced amid ongoing hostilities in the country.
