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About 150 imprisoned Syrian women will be released in exchange for the nuns, who along with three other women were taken from their convent in the Christian-dominated town of Maaloula during clashes in December.

The Syrian Greek Orthodox Patriarchal Assistant, Bishop Luca Al-Khoury, who led an official church reception to greet the nuns, accused the rebels fighting to overthrow President Bashar Assad of targeting Syria’s patchwork of religious minorities. Al-Khoury is a frequent defender of Assad’s rule.

“Syria, which does not differentiate between Muslims and Christians, is targeted … by the armed terrorist groups who don’t understand anything but the language of killing and destruction.”

The nuns’ seizure confirmed the fears of many in Syria’s minority Christian community that they were being targeted by extremists among rebels. Syria’s three-year conflict has become increasingly sectarian.

The country’s chaotic mix of rebel groups is overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim, while the minorities include Christians, Shiite Muslims and Alawites — whose sect is a Shiite offshoot. Most have sided with Assad or remained neutral, fearing for their fate should rebels take power. Assad is an Alawite.

Also Monday, the international rights group Amnesty International accused the Syrian government of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity by blockading and starving civilians in the southern Damascus neighbourhood of Yarmouk.