ISIL Threatens to Execute 180 Assyrian Christians

Members of the ISIL terrorist group threatened to execute 180 Assyrian Christians abducted in Syria in late February, Russian media reported on Saturday. On Thursday several Arabic-language TV channels showed an ISIL-released video showing three Assyrian men dressed in orange jumpsuits before they were shot dead. One of the men said ISIL would begin executing the other prisoners if the militants' demands were not met. The men were captured in February when ISIL overran a series of Assyrian settlements in northeastern Syria. The Assyrian church leaders in Syria and Lebanon have appealed to the Assyrian diasporas abroad and representatives of international organizations to help save the lives of the Christian hostages.