Jihadists release civilian hostages
The Islamic State group late Tuesday released 270 of more than 400 civilians it had abducted during its assault on the eastern Syrian city of Deir Ezzor, a monitor said.
By : migrator
Update: 2016-01-20 22:41 GMT
Among the 200 hostages released included women, children under 14 years old, and the elderly, said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
He said they had been freed after undergoing questioning by IS jihadists to determine whether they had ties to Syria’s regime. “They will not go back into Deir Ezzor city, but will be spread out among local tribes in the province,” Abdel Rahman added.
IS launched a multi-pronged assault on Deir Ezzor city on Saturday, with dozens of its fighters carrying out suicide bomb attacks as they stormed government positions.
The group is now in control of 60 percent of the city and has tightened its siege around it by capturing surrounding towns.
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