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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.
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
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.
