Like other Christians in present-day Iraq and Syria, many Assyrians, sometimes called Syriac Christians, have fled their homelands to escape waves of violence. But their roots in the area are deep: They are an ancient ethnic group descended from one of the great empires of Middle Eastern history.
About 40,000 Assyrians remain in Syria, according to an estimate from the BBC, and other Assyrians remain in Iraq, Iran and Turkey or have emigrated to other countries around the world. They belong to a variety of Christian sects and speak an endangered language related to Aramaic, a language that Jesus spoke.
Activists say the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, kidnapped scores of people from a chain of Assyrian villages along the Khabur River near Hasaka, Syria, this week. Many others were trapped in their homes, the activists reported.
The Islamic State’s assault began before dawn on Monday and aimed to capture the strategic village of Tel Tamer, according to Osama Edward, the Stockholm-based director of the Assyrian Human Rights Network. About 3,000 residents fled the surrounding villages, according to Mr. Edward and other reports.
Three weeks ago, the Islamic State forced churches in the area to remove their crosses and imposed a tax on Christians, threatening death for those who did not pay, according to the Assyrian International News Agency.
The Islamic State has targeted religious minorities as it seeks to control territory, killing, kidnapping and torturing Yazidis, Coptic Christians and other groups. In July, the terrorist group took control of Mosul, Iraq, forcing out the last of the Christians who had remained there.
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