US condemns Daesh kidnapping of Christians in Syria

WASHINGTON

The U.S. condemned late Tuesday Daesh attacks on predominantly Assyrian Christian villages in the northeast Syrian province of Hasakah, where the group is thought to have kidnapped dozens civilians.

Islamic State of Iraq and Levant or Daesh, the Arabic acronym for the terror group, kidnapped 90 Assyrian Christians from the villages of Tal Hormoz and Tal Shamiram near Tal Tamr town in Hasakah, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The abduction came in the aftermath of Daesh attacks Monday in which it seized control of Tal Tamr town’s al-Aghibash, Tal Hormoz, Tal Shamiram, Tal Nasri and Kasr Toma villages.

"The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms ISIL’s attacks yesterday on predominantly Assyrian Christian villages in the northeast Syrian province of Hasakeh, where they kidnapped dozens of civilians, including women, children, priests, and the elderly," said State Department Spokeswoman Jen Psaki in a statement, referring to the militant group Daesh as ISIL.

She said that besides the dozens who have been kidnapped, hundreds of other civilians remain trapped in villages surrounded by Daesh fighters.

Clashes between Daesh and local forces are reportedly continuing.

Psaki’s statement also touched upon brutalities committed by the Bashar al-Assad regime.

"Tragically, Syrians are threatened not only by ISIL’s grotesque violence and repressive ideology, but also by the Assad regime’s unrelenting campaign of terror," she said. "The regime has recently intensified its airstrikes and barrel bombing of Aleppo and continues to besiege the Damascus suburbs of Eastern Ghouta and Douma, cutting off humanitarian aid from those in need."

The UN Commission of Inquiry reaffirmed the deteriorating situation in Syria last week, noting in its latest report that the Syrian people continue to suffer from the Assad regime’s airstrikes, barrel bombings, arbitrary detention, torture, sexual violence and murder.