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| Islamic State social media accounts released photos of fighters on pro-Assad forces tanks |
ISLAMIC State militants raided a Syrian church and abducted scores of Christians after capturing a town last night, according to a terror watchdog.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said more than 230 people were kidnapped from the strategic town of Qaryatain.
ISIS jihadists used suicide bombers to take the streets overnight after heavy fighting with pro-Assad army forces.
SOHR claim ISIS are hunting down people suspected of "collaborating with the regime".
Many Christians had fled to Qaryatain to seek refuge from persecution and fighting in nearby Aleppo.
Neil Sammonds, the Amnesty Syria researcher, said: “This does sound credible. But, this is larger scale than usual. It is rare they get into towns where thousands of people are still living.
“We know Christians and ‘collaborators’ are a target of ISIS. They are at the highest risk either for some kind of summary justice or for Christians in particular, some kind of high ransom demand or exchange.” Thousands of Christians have been displaced by years of fighting in the conflict zone.
Qaryatain has seen its pre-war Christian population of 2,000 drop to just 300 in recent months, according to one Christian force.
The militant fighters have previously ordered Christians to convert, pay a religious levy, or face death.
The extremists have abducted hundreds of Assyrian Christians from the war-torn country this year alone, many of whom were children and women.
In Febuary, the hardline jihadists kidnapped at least 250 Assyrian Christians during a raid across ten villages in north-east Syria.
The militants released 19 of the hostages but the fate of the rest of those from the ancient Christian minority remains unknown.
ISIS jihadists used suicide bombers to take the streets overnight after heavy fighting with pro-Assad army forces.
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| Assyrian Christians are a persecuted minority in Syria and have been targeted by Islamic State |
Photographs appearing to show ISIS fighters celebrating on Syrian army tanks in Qaryatain have since spread across social media.
Qaryatain lies between the cities of Homs, Damascus and Palmyra, which were recently captured by ISIS forces.
Fears are growing over the safety for the "at least 60 Christians" who were taken from inside a church.
A handwritten list with the names of the abducted Assyrian Christians was found after the raid.
Qaryatain lies between the cities of Homs, Damascus and Palmyra, which were recently captured by ISIS forces.
Fears are growing over the safety for the "at least 60 Christians" who were taken from inside a church.
A handwritten list with the names of the abducted Assyrian Christians was found after the raid.
Many Christians had fled to Qaryatain to seek refuge from persecution and fighting in nearby Aleppo.
Neil Sammonds, the Amnesty Syria researcher, said: “This does sound credible. But, this is larger scale than usual. It is rare they get into towns where thousands of people are still living.
“We know Christians and ‘collaborators’ are a target of ISIS. They are at the highest risk either for some kind of summary justice or for Christians in particular, some kind of high ransom demand or exchange.”
Qaryatain has seen its pre-war Christian population of 2,000 drop to just 300 in recent months, according to one Christian force.
The militant fighters have previously ordered Christians to convert, pay a religious levy, or face death.
The extremists have abducted hundreds of Assyrian Christians from the war-torn country this year alone, many of whom were children and women.
In Febuary, the hardline jihadists kidnapped at least 250 Assyrian Christians during a raid across ten villages in north-east Syria.
The militants released 19 of the hostages but the fate of the rest of those from the ancient Christian minority remains unknown.
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