IS abduct 90 Christians in Syria

By -
© epa r Hoslet, EPA
Iraqi Christians demonstrate in Brussels

Islamic State extremists have abducted at least 90 Assyrian Christians in the north-east of Syria, a monitoring group said Tuesday.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the abductions took place after jihadists attacked the villages of Tel Hermez and Tel Shamiran, west of al-Hassakeh, early the previous morning, reports dpa.
Residents in al-Hassakeh, the provincial capital, said that fleeing civilians arriving in the city spoke of churches being burned and abuses against residents.
The Islamic State attack was followed by fierce clashes with the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), the Britain-based Observatory said.
Assyrian Christians have for centuries lived in several dozen villages along the banks of the Khabur river west of al-Hassakeh.
Local sources say that the river forms the effective boundary between areas controlled by the YPG and those held by Islamic State, and that many civilians had already left the villages on the south bank.
A local Assyrian militia has been fighting to defend the Khabur villages alongside the Kurds.
The Assyrians follow an ancient Eastern Christian rite and speak a language close to Aramaic. Their largest communities are in north-eastern Syria and nearby areas of northern Iraq.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

UBTH @50: Obaseki hails institution’s role in strengthening Edo healthcare

By -
Image
(Nigeria) Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, has commended the staff and management of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, UBTH, for their unwavering commitment, dedication, and hard work in providing high-quality healthcare services to the people of Edo State and Nigeria in the past fifty years. Obaseki, at a dinner organized in honour of the Committee of Chief Medical Directors of Nigeria, at the Government House, Benin City, reassured the government’s continuous partnership and collaboration with the federal government-owned health institution to strengthen the health system and ensure quality health delivery to Edo people. The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Philip Shaibu, reeled out the gains of the government’s reforms in the health sector, commending the medical centre for bolstering the government’s efforts at transforming Edo State into a health hub. He said, "We came into a wilderness where you have to cut a part for yourself and fix it. We held
Read more

Osun: S'Court ruling affirmed power resides with the people - Diri

By -
Image
*Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri (Nigeria) Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has said the ruling of the country’s apex court on the Osun State governorship election was an affirmation that power in a democracy resided with the people. Governor Diri, while congratulating Senator Ademola Adeleke in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, on Wednesday, expressed joy that the Supreme Court sealed the mandate freely given to the governor by the Osun people. The Bayelsa governor also said the verdict reflected the current mood of the country where those whose stock-in-trade is to promote electoral violence and subvert the will of the people have no place in our electoral system. He expressed the hope that introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, will instil more confidence in the electoral process, urging the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to deepen Nigeria’s democracy by also introducing electronic votin
Read more

Presidential poll: CNPP backs calls for live broadcast of tribunal’s proceedings

By -
Image
*Presidential election petition tribunal sittings in Abuja (Nigeria) Conference Of Nigeria Political Parties, CNPP, has thrown its weight behind calls for live broadcast of the proceedings of the presidential election petition court sittings in Abuja. In a statement by its Secretary General, Chief Willy Ezugwu, the umbrella body of all registered political parties and political associations in the country noted that not only will the live broadcast douse tension associated with the ongoing proceedings and high expectations by the electorates, it will also promote transparency in the court process in public interest. The CNPP also reasoned that “there is no way the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and it's candidate in the presidential election, Bola Tinubu, will oppose a live broadcast of the tribunal’s sittings up to the Supreme Court of Nigeria where the matter will eventually terminate if any of the parties procee
Read more