The 180 Assyrians are part of a group of 230 people kidnapped from villages in the Khabur river valley this past February. Isis reportedly lowered their ransom demands early in September, giving the hostages hope of freedom at last. At the time, buses were being organized to collect the hostages and to bring them back to Hassaké.

“Therefore, now, the biggest obstacle regarding the release of our Assyrian brothers is no longer money, but the difficulty of how to organize the phase of liberation,” – Syrian Catholic Archbishop Jacques Behnan Hindo

The group of terrorists had been persecuting Christians and other religions across Iraq and Syria. Little by little they have released groups of kidnapped hostages from Khabur, but are still holding on to the majority of the captives. Their special target is Assyrian Christians.

Just recently,  IS released a video showing the executions of three of the hostages. This drew attention from the persecution watchdog group  A Demand for Action.

“We condemn this latest act of barbarism in the strongest possible terms. The systematic ethno-religious cleansing of Assyrians/Syriacs/Chaldeans continues. They are helpless. They are children. They are women. They are somebody’s father and brother,” wrote A Demand for Action spokesperson Diana Yaqco.

“We plea and beg of the international community to intervene immediately. We have been driven out of our ancestral lands. We have been killed and crucified. The international community must act now to save lives of others kidnapped.”

Dear God we ask that you keep our brothers and sisters safe from the menacing terrorist group. We ask that you forgive them for they do not know that they are sinning against You. Indeed we will be forever grateful of the day when you bring peace and justice to those who deserve it. Amen!

Article: Christian Post