ISIS holding 50 civilians after raid on Syria village
Jihadis from ISIS are holding hostage at least 50 civilians seized in a raid on a village in central Syria, an activist group says, AFP reported.
They were kidnapped from the village of Mabujeh in Hama province on March 31, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
News of the kidnap had been kept quiet because of ongoing negotiations for their release, but the talks have since faltered, said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman.
Ten of those taken, including six women, are Ismailis, a minority sect that is an offshoot of Shiite Islam. The remaining 40 are Sunni Muslims, including at least 15 women.
"There are fears that the women are being taken as slaves," Abdel Rahman told AFP.