ISIS abducts dozens of Christians, hundreds of Iraqis

Islamic State of Iraq an al-Sham (ISIS) struck before dawn, staging house-to-house raids in a cluster of villages nestled along the Khabur River in northeastern Syria. They abducted at least 190 Christians many of them women and children while thousands of others fled to safer areas. The captives' fate was unclear on Tuesday, a day after they were seized, and relatives said mobile phone service was cut off and land lines also were not going through, adding to the fear and uncertainty about their loved ones. Heavy fighting was reported in the area.

The militants struck near the town of Tal Tamr in Hassakeh province, an area predominated by Assyrian Christians. Most of the captives came from Tal Shamiram and some from Tal Hurmiz. Nuri Kino, the head of a group called A Demand For Action, said between 70 and 100 Assyrians were taken captive. About 3,000 people fled and have sought refuge in the cities of Hassakeh and Qamishli, he said, adding that his activist group based its information on conversations with villagers who fled the attack and their relatives. His group focuses on religious minorities in the Middle East.

"Have they been slaughtered? Are they still alive? We're searching for any news," said an Assyrian Christian woman from Tal Shamiram who now lives in Beirut. The woman said she has been trying to find out what has become of her parents, her brother and his wife and their children, but couldn't reach anyone in the village. "I feel so helpless, I cannot do anything for them but pray," she said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of endangering relatives believed to be held by the militants. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which also reported the abductions, put the number of Christians held by the ISIS group at 90. The Observatory relies on a network of activists inside Syria.

Meanwhile, a tribe leader in Iraq's Tikrit said more than 100 men and boys have been kidnapped by ISIS. Al-Jazeera reported that Sheikh Anwar Assi al-Obeidi said on Wednesday that "118 men and nine boys were originally captured three days ago from Rubaitha village, east of Tikrit, but that 21 men have since been released. The boys, aged nine and 10, are still being held along with the remaining men at an unknown location. Most of those captured have relatives fighting against ISIS and 600 members of the al-Obeid tribe have been killed by ISIS militants since June. ISIS has taken our men in retaliation for their support to the security forces and being part of the Sunni tribes that oppose ISIS's ideology. This is an attempt by ISIS to mount pressure on their relatives and family members whom have took up arms against ISIS."