Syria: ISIL terrorists abduct 400 civilians and slaughter 300 people during assault on Deir Ezzor town
ISIL has kidnapped at least 400 civilians including women and children, and slaughtered 300 people in attacks on Syria’s eastern city of Deir Ezzor, a monitor and the government said on Sunday.
The extremists made significant advances in the contested region when they committed the “appalling massacre”, the government said.
Syria’s state news agency Sana, quoting residents, said “around 300 civilians” were killed in the onslaught - most of them were elderly people, women and children. Opposition activists said many of the victims were Syrian soldiers and pro-government militiamen and their families.
“After their attack on Deir Ezzor [on Saturday], ISIL abducted at least 400 civilians from the residents of the Al Baghaliyeh neighbourhood it captured and adjacent areas in the north-west of the city,” said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
“Those abducted, all of whom are Sunnis, include women, children and family members of pro-regime fighters.”