Islamic State Release Two Assyrian Hostages in Syria

Islamic State Release Two Assyrian Hostages in Syria; All 35 Assyrian Villages Liberated
By Dan Wooding, Founder of ASSIST and the ASSIST News Service
HASAKA, SYRIA (ANS – May 26, 2015) – Islamic State, also known as ISIS, released two female Assyrian hostages yesterday (Monday, May 15, 2015) in Syria, in the Hasaka region.
According to the Assyrian International News Agency (AINA), the women were among the 253 Assyrians captured when ISIS attacked the 35 Assyrian villages along the Khabur river on February 23.
“The two released women, both elderly, were Ramziyya Rehana from Tel Fwedat and Yoniyya Kanoon from Tel Shamiran. They were both taken to hospital in Hasaka. Mrs. Rehana had a broken hip, Ms. Kanoon had no ailments,” said AINA.
“With the release of these two Assyrians, the number of Assyrians still being held by ISIS now stands at 229. ISIS released 19 Assyrians on March 1st and 4 more on March 3rd -- all from the village of Tel Goran.”
The situation in Khabur
AINA (http://www.aina.org/) added that all the Assyrian villages on the Khabur river have been liberated. The forces responsible for this were mainly the Syrian army, aided by Kurdish YPG and Assyrian militias.
“Assyrians have started to return to Tel Tamer but not to the other villages since they have been destroyed. About 30 families have returned to Tel Tamer so far,” their story concluded.
Photo captions: Islamic State fighters in action. 2) Dan Wooding reporting for ANS from outside the Kurdistan Parliament in Erbil, Northern Iraq.
About the writer: Dan Wooding, 74, is an award-winning journalist who was born in Nigeria of British missionary parents, now living in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he has been married for nearly 52 years. They have two sons, Andrew and Peter, and six grandchildren who all live in the UK. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS) and he hosts the weekly “Front Page Radio” show on the KWVE Radio Network in Southern California and which is also carried throughout the United States and around the world, and also “His Channel Live,” a TV show beamed to 192 countries. He has spent two weeks reporting for ANS in Northern Iraq.
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