Four Assyrian Christians, including a six-year-old girl, who were among a group of at least 220 Christians abducted by Islamic State (IS) from their villages in northeast Syria on 24 February, were released on 3 March.
Their release follows that of 19 other Christians. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), an IS religious court ruled on 28 February for the release of the 19 hostages in exchange for a sum of money paid for each family as tax for non-Muslims. Over 200 Christians at the time of going to press remained in captivity.
Although more than 900 families had already fled to the cities of Hassake and Qamishli, at least 220 Christians were taken hostage in an IS offensive against Kurdish fighters in the mainly Christian villages of north-eastern al-Hasakah Province on 24 February.
