Jihadists free 93 Syrian Kurdish hostages
The Islamic State (IS)
jihadist group has released at least 93 Syrian Kurds from the flashpoint town
of Kobane who were kidnapped in February, a monitor said Tuesday.
They were among more
than 160 Kurds abducted as they travelled east through Syria en route for Iraqi
Kurdistan, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The hostages were held
in the jihadist stronghold of Raqa, accused of being members of the Democratic
Union Party (PYD), the main Kurdish political party in Syria.
It was unclear why they
were freed, according to the Britain-based Observatory.
PYD fighters have been
defending Kobane against an IS attack for the past seven weeks, and the town has
become a prominent symbol of resistance to the jihadists.
The Syrian Kurds have
been reinforced by opposition rebels and Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga fighters.
Of the freed hostages,
53 were able to cross into neighbouring Turkey while 40 were still in Syria,
said the Observatory, which relies on a broad network of activists for its
reports.
About 70 others remain
in captivity.
IS has seized large
parts of Syria and Iraq, proclaiming an Islamic caliphate and committing
widespread atrocities.
Kidnapping is rife in
Syria with IS and other extremists abducting rival fighters, journalists, aid
workers, soldiers and civilians.
Late last month, IS
released about 25 Syrian Kurdish schoolchildren.
They were the last to
be freed from a group of 153 schoolchildren kidnapped by IS in the northern
province of Aleppo in May after sitting exams.
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