For a ransom, The “Islamic State” closes the Assyrians citizens’ file who were abducted from villages in the countryside of Tal Tamr
It rose to 197 the number of Assyrians citizens released by the “Islamic State” since the 23rd of February 2015, who were abducted by the organization during the attack on villages inhabited by Assyrian citizens in addition to several other villages near Tal Tamr town in Al-Hasaka province, at that time the organization kidnapped about 224 Assyrian citizen including dozens of children and women, and moved them to their control areas, then they were released successively in batches, until the number reached 197 released Assyrian citizens (with the last batch), while three others were executed, they appeared in a video which the Syrian Observatory for human rights received a copy of it back in October 8th 2015.
Church authorities reported that another 24 kidnapped Assyrian were released individually and without mediation, but no other party provided information about the fate of those 24, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights cannot confirm or deny this information.
But several reliable sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that the organization closed the file of kidnapped Assyrians within a full year after abducting them, this came after the “Islamic State” organization received a ransom equal to at least 25 million US dollars, the money was received by the organization in batches, this ransom was paid by businessmen and several tribal sheikhs, on condition that the church will not reveal anything about the “hostage-release-in-exchange-for-ransom”.