ASIA/SYRIA - Raid of the coalition in the Khabur valley; Assyrian hostages are likely to become "human shields"

Wednesday, 13 May 2015

Hassaké (Agenzia Fides) - The US-led coalition forces engaged in military interventions targeted against the positions of the jihadist of the Islamic State (IS) for four days, have intensified air raids on the eastern bank of the river Khabur, area of north east Syrian province of Jazira, attacked and occupied by the IS last February. Local sources told Fides that the raid of the coalition are to support the counter-offensive carried out by Kurdish militias, which have recently regained some villages in the area, pushing back the militia of the IS.
Along the valley of the river Khabur, perennial tributary of the Euphrates, there were more than 30 Christian villages, founded in the thirties, where Assyrian and Chaldean Christians from Iraq, who fled the massacres perpetrated then by the Iraqi army had found refuge. On 23 February, the area was attacked by the jihadists of the Islamic State, which resulted in the mass exodus of the Assyrian population and still hold more than 230 Christians taken hostage since then. With regards to their fate, in recent days the Assyrian Network for Human Rights relauched the rumors that in March the jihadists demanded a ransom of $ 22 million in exchange for their release, equivalent to almost 100 thousand dollars for each hostage. In front of the impossibility of meeting such astronomical request by the Assyrian community, negotiations were stopped and all attempts to re-open channels of negotiation through some heads of local clans were fruitless. Local sources contacted by Fides say that the jihadists themselves report that they no longer intend to negotiate the release of the hostages on an economic basis. The same sources believe that the jihadists may have changed strategy in the prospect of using Assyrian hostages as potential human shields in front of any offensive against their positions by Kurdish militias or by coalition aircraft. (GV) (Agenzia Fides 13/05/2015)


Share: