Fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) released 21 Assyrian Christians, abducted during an ISIL offensive against Kurdish fighters in the north-eastern governate of Hasakah in Syria. The hostages were freed on Sunday [1 March 2015] after two days of negotiations, when an "ISIL court" in the town of al-Shadadi ordered their release.

Below is an article published by Aljazeera





Fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group have released 21 Assyrian Christians they abducted during an offensive against Kurdish fighters in the northeastern Hasakah governorate.

The hostages, part of the more than 250 people that were taken by the group in the village of al-Khabour, were released on Sunday [1 March 2015] after two days of negotiations, the Assyrian Network for Human Rights said.

"We do not have accurate information about their conditions about the rest, but we do know that they have been dispersed in several houses controlled by ISIL," Osama Edward, director of the Assyrian Network for Human Rights, told Al Jazeera about the remaining hostages.

The Assyrians arrived at a church in the northeast city of Hasakah, which is under government control.

Sources told Al Jazeera that the hostages were freed after an "ISIL court" in the town of al-Shadadi ordered their release.