50 Syrians seized after village raid

BEIRUT: The Islamic State group is holding hostage at least 50 civilians seized in a raid on a village in central Syria, a monitor said.
They were kidnapped from the village of Mabujeh in Hama province on March 31, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
News of the kidnap had been kept quiet because of ongoing negotiations for their release, but the talks have since faltered, said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman.
Ten of those taken, including six women, are Ismailis, a minority sect that is an offshoot of Shiism. The remaining 40 are Sunnis, including at least 15 women.
“There are fears that the women are being taken as slaves,” Abdel Rahman told AFP. He said the Ismailis were kidnapped because IS considers them “infidels,” and that the Sunnis — although from the same sect as IS fighters — were taken because IS viewed them as “loyal to the Ismailis.”

 

 

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