The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria has captured at least 90 Assyrian Christians on Monday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The terrorist group had reportedly taken the hostages last Tuesday from two Assyrian villages after defeating Kurdish forces in the region of Hassakeh, Reuters reports.
Hassakeh is largely divided between ISIS and the Kurdish and Al Jazeera correspondent Nisreen el-Shamayleh said he thinks the abductions were provoked by escalating control of Kurdish forces.
The United States, along with the international coalition against ISIS, has also helped in recent Kurdish gains of the territory by launching airstrikes and devastating enemy combatants.
The northeastern part of Syria holds strategic importance as it borders alongside Iraq, where ISIS is strong.
