Putin: '700 hostages captured by ISIS in Syria including US and European citizens'

Apart from one article in Britain's Sun, reposted here in Australia and the original item from TASS, this story has not really hit the headlines anywhere yet

Putin stuns crowd: '700 hostages captured by ISIS in Syria including US and European citizens'

ISLAMIC terror group ISIS has taken 700 people hostage including Europeans and US nationals. It’s vowing to kill 10 a day.

News.com.au,

19 October, 2018

ISIS has taken nearly 700 people hostage including several European and US Nationals in Syria and has vowed to kill 10 a day, Vladimir Putin has claimed.

The Sun reports that the jihadi group is holding their prisoners captive somewhere south of the Euphrates River in the war torn nation.

ISIS Islamic States captures 700 hostages in Syria. Picture: SuppliedSource:Supplied

Speaking in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, Mr Putin added that ISIS was expanding its control in territory controlled by US and US-backed forces and blasted America for a “catastrophic” failure.

Mr Putin said: “Islamic State terrorists have delivered ultimatums and made certain demands, threatening to shoot ten people every day.

“This is just horrible, it is a catastrophe.

“Some US and European citizens are among the hostages.”

ISIS Islamic States captures 700 hostages in Syria. Picture: SuppliedSource:Supplied

He did not specify what the terrorists’ demands were.

Russia’s TASS news agency reported on Wednesday that ISIS militants had taken around 700 hostages in Syria’s Deir al-Zor province after attacking a refugee camp in an area controlled by US-backed forces on October 13.

Mr Putin added: “Everyone is silent as if nothing has happened.”

He claims US forces looked away during the attack but pictures seem to show fighter jets in the sky overhead during the assault.

Although the figure of 700 hostages has not been independently verified, images have emerged appearing to show a militant attack in the region.

Pictures show fighters performing ISIS’ signature one-fingered salute as they grab the hair of their victims.

Russian President Vladimir Putin. Picture: APSource:AP

TASS said the militants had kidnapped around 130 families and taken them to the city of Hajin.

Women and children are believed to be among the captured civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The area has been under attack by the US-led coalition and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) for the last month.

But the offensive has been met with heavy resistance from around 5000 ISIS fighters.

A string of towns along the eastern banks of the Euphrates are some of the last areas controlled by the militants in either Syria or Iraq.

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi founded ISIS. Picture: AFPSource:AFP

Since the offensive began on September 11, around 7000 civilians from ISIS-controlled territory have fled to SDF areas, according to the UN — most from Hajin and Al Baghouz.

ISIS had appeared to be no longer a serious threat in the region with several Western governments suggesting the group had nearly been destroyed.

But this development appears to show the Islamist death cult is still a very real threat in the region.

An estimated 5000 ISIS fighters are bunkered down in Hajin, with nowhere else to run.

And the US military believes many top ISIS leaders have fled there.

The group’s founder, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was also rumoured to be in the area at one point.

From TASS

Islamic State takes over 700 hostages in Syria — source

Terrorists attacked a refugee camp in the area controlled by the US-led coalition forces, a military diplomatic source said

MOSCOW, October 17. /TASS/. The Islamic State terrorist group (outlawed in Russia) has taken more than 700 hostages in the Syrian region of Deir ez-Zor, among them citizens of Western European and other states, a military diplomatic source said on Wednesday.

Terrorists attacked a refugee camp in the area controlled by the US-led coalition forces, he added.

"Taking advantage of their impunity, the Islamic State militants carried out an attack on the refugee camp located near the populated locality of al-Bahra on October 13. As a result, they took hostage and transported about 130 Arab families to [the city of] Hajin which is under their control," the source said.

According to him, "among the Islamic State hostages in that area are more than 700 people, including citizens of Western European and other countries."

Militants demand that Syrian Democratic Forces fighting on the side of the US-led coalition release captured IS terrorists and concede several territories on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River. The Islamic State will execute hostage every day until their demands are met, the source said.

IS attacked a refugee camp while the Syrian Democratic Forces tried to launch an offensive with support from the US-led coalition. The source noted that the failute of the Syrian Democratic Forces is due to multiple mistakes made US military coordinating the operation.

"Today's incident in the settlement of Hajin is a good example of that. Because of unprofessional actions of US Air Force, a Kurdish unit that was trying to launch an offensive at IS, was subjected to airstrikes from two F-15 fighter jets from the coalition forces. Six Kurdish fighters died, and 15 more sustained serious injuries," the source added.

According to the source, the offensive was thus disrupted, and IS took control over the area. The failure of the operation was exacerbated by mass desertion from the ranks of the Syrian Democratic Forces, he added.