Daesh frees about 40 kidnapped Assyrian Christians for ransom

The ISIL Takfiri terrorist group has released about 40 Assyrian Christians, including women and children, who were abducted in Syria last year, in exchange for millions of dollars in ransom.

According to the reports, the captives were freed on Monday morning and were the last of 230 kidnapped Assyrians, said Younan Talia from the Assyrian Democratic Organization.

The freed Assyrians are on their way to the Syrian town of Tal Tamr, Talia said, noting that the release came after mediation led by a senior Assyrian priest.

The Assyrians were captured last February after Daesh terrorists attacked several communities in northeastern Hasakah Province.

A Syrian Christian official said that a campaign was launched following the capture of the Assyrians, asking the worldwide Asyrian community to make donations for their release.

Talia said the Takfiri group initially demanded a ransom of USD 18 million for the release of 230 Assyrians. The figure, however, was later lowered following negotiations, Talia noted, adding that he was not aware of the final amount.

Kidnapping for ransom is a source of income for the Daesh terrorist group. In November 2015, the Takfiri group said it killed a Chinese and a Norwegian after their countries failed to pay the requested ransom for their release.

SS