Islamic State Releases Four More Assyrians

Islamic State Releases Four More Assyrians, Including Six-Year-old Mariana
By Dan Wooding, Founder of ASSIST and the ASSIST News Service (Breaking News)
HASAKA, SYRIA (ANS – March 3, 2015) – Six-year-old Mariana Mirza, was freed today (Tuesday, March 3, 2015) by Islamic State (IS) fighters, two days after her parents were released by the same group in Syria.
Mariana's parents, who were from Tel Goran, Syria, had also been captured and were released on Sunday, but IS did release Mariana at that time.
“Because her mother was pregnant and expecting, she was forced to leave, but Mariana's father's aunt, Bobo Mirza, who also has now been released, stayed behind with Mariana,” said a spokesperson for the Assyrian International News Agency (AINA) -- http://www.aina.org.
At the same time, the terror group today freed two other Assyrian captives, who were captured in the initial attacks on the 35 Assyrian villages on the Khabur River, in the Hasaka province of Syria.
The two others released today, Yatroun Marko and his wife Wardiyya Yonan, were both from the village of Tel Shamiram.
All of the released are being cared for at St. Mary's Church in Hasaka, Syria.
AINA is reporting that the number of Assyrians captured by Islamic State is somewhere between 262 and 373.
On Sunday (March 1, 2015), some 19 Assyrians who were captured from the Syrian village of Tel Goran, were released by Islamic State and were being cared for at the church.
According to AINA, negotiations for their release had been ongoing for three days and were mediated by local Arab tribal leaders.
With the release of this group, the number still being held by IS remains in the hundreds, and according to Assyrian leaders, negotiations for the release of the remainder of the hostages are ongoing.
On February 24, 2015, Islamic State attacked the Assyrian villages of Tel Goran, Tel Hurmiz, Tel Tamar, Tel Baloaa Tel Shamiran, Tel Riman, Tel Nasra, Tel Khareta, Tel Jazira, Tel Fweidat, Qaber Shamiyeh and Abu Tena.
“Nine Assyrian fighters died defending their villages in the initial attacks and there are reports that Islamic State has executed at least 12 Assyrian fighters who were captured, two of them women,” said the AINA spokesman.
“The majority of the Assyrians were captured from Tel Shamiran, Tel Hurmiz, Tel Goran and Tel Jazira, all in Syria."
Photo caption: Two of the freed Assyrians who are being care for at St. Mary's Church, Hasaka, Syrian (Photo: AINA)
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