Conflicting reports about fate of abducted workers in Syria

Conflicting reports circulated on Friday over the fate of about 300 Syrian workers earlier abducted by the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group from a cement factory near the Syrian capital, Damascus.

Amaq news agency, which is affiliated to Daesh, said the terrorist group freed the workers it had kidnapped after the capture of the factory on April 5, adding that four people were killed for being Druze.

The Syrian Industry Ministry had said on Thursday that 300 workers and contractors of al-Badia Cement were abducted from near Dumeir town.

Meanwhile, the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said a deal has been reached for the release of the abducted workers. The group said some 170 workers would be freed, adding that the rest had already managed to flee the hands of terrorists. However, the group failed to specify the number of workers who had been freed on Friday.

A military source said he saw tens of workers arrive on Friday evening at a nearby government-held military airport. According to AFP, the abductions occurred on April 4.

SS