The Islamic State (IS) yesterday kidnapped at least 90 Christian Assyrians in the canton of Cizire, the easternmost of the three that make up the Western Kurdistan (Syria). The kidnapping took place in the Khabur valley, where the Islamists launched on Monday an offensive against the forces that are defending the canton.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), at least 56 Assyrians were kidnapped in Tal Shamiram, and the same fate was shared by "dozens of Assyrian people" in Tal Hermez. The same source said the IS executed two people in Ghibsh because of "dealing with Kurds."

Newsweek magazine reports that the hostages might be more than 100, and says the IS has asked the Kurdish forces to release Islamist prisoners in exchange for the kidnapped Assyrians.

Assyrian AINA news agency reports that the jihadists have destroyed several Assyrian churches during the offensive. Among these are the church of Mar Bisho (left picture, by AINA), which the jihadists have set on fire, according to AINA.

The canton of Cizîre is being defended by YPG and YPJ Kurdish militias and an Assyrian militia (Syriac Military Council, MFS). The MFS yesterday admitted that the IS had taken several villages in the Khabur valley, and further explained that its forces along with the YPG, the Assyrian police (Sutoro) and a group of local guards were struggling to stop the Islamist advance.

A detailed map of the Khabur valley, depicting villages occupied by the IS, can be found here.

The attack on the Khabur valley comes one day after the YPG and MFS carried out an offensive against the IS in the Tal Hamis area, which is also localted in the canton of Cizîre. Jihadists were forced to withdraw from 22 localities there.

An 80-year-old Assyrian settlement

The Assyrians first settled in the Khabur valley in the 1930s. They were families who had been expelled from the region of Hakkari, in North Kurdistan (Turkey). Before the current war, it was estimated that the Khabur Assyrian population was around 20,000 people. Their main settlement is Tal Tamir.

Other territories of Western Kurdistan also have smaller Assyrian populations, including the city of Qamishli. Cizîre authorities in 2014 declared Assyrian an official language of the canton, alongside Kurdish and Arabic.

Further information:

• Nationalia: Assyrians in Kurdistan arm themselves