"We have received information from our sources that they are in Raqqa, and we are concerned over their lives. We are praying for their liberation before the final attack on Raqqa," Mother Agnes Mariam Salib said at a press conference
She added that numerous Christian community members were also praying for the liberation of the two bishops.
Social protests against Damascus in 2011 have turned into a protracted civil war in the Middle Eastern nation that has already claimed thousands of lives. The conflict is also characterized by the stepping-up of activities of various radical Islamists, such as the Daesh (outlawed in many countries, including Russia and the United States), which gained notoriety for kidnapping and killing Christians, as well as worshipers from non-Sunni religious groups.
In July 2015, Pope Francis used the term "genocide" to describe the violence committed by extremists against Christians in the Middle East.
