PHOTO: Church burning after Islamic State attack near Tel Temir

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The Islamic State attacked a series of villages in Hasakeh Province in eastern Syria on Monday, with reports and images of widespread destruction as residents fled.

The area is populated by many Assyrians, descendants of the ancient empire in Mesopotamia dating back to 2500 BC. Most of them are Christians.

The jihadists struck along the Khabur River, moving southeast from Tal Shamiran all the way to Tal Hurmiz. Claims are circulating that churches were burned and villagers were kidnapped, with women and children separated from the men as the Islamic State seeks a prisoner exchange with local Kurdish groups. Other residents have fled east to Hasakeh city.

An unknown number of local fighters have been killed.

ISLAMIC STATE ATTACK HASAKEH 23-02-15

The Syriac Military Council (MFS) said in a statement that the Islamic State had counter-attacked after it lost 22 villages over the weekend. It said it was working with the Kurdish militia YPG and the Syriac Christian militia Sutoro to “push back the barbaric attacks against our freedom fighters and brave Syriac people”: “Our ultimate goal is to retake all the villages, so that families can return to their homes.”

Displaced Assyrians in a church in Hasakeh:

ASSYRIAN DISPLACED HASAKEH 23-02-15


Rebels: Regime Deliberately Killed Its Army Officers By Bombing Opposition Prison

Rebels, including the leading faction Jaish al-Islam, are claiming that the Assad regime bombed an opposition prison near Damascus to kill Syrian army officers held there.

Over the weekend, six officers reportedly died in Douma during an airstrike, including Brigadier Suhail Suleiman, commander of the 274th Regiment.

Islam Alloush, a senior official in Jaish al-Islam, said the airstrike differed from other Syrian attacks because it used a guided missile rather than a barrel bomb or unguided explosive.

Alloush said the officers were killed to relieve pressure on the regime from relatives demanding their release.
Activists have accused the regime air force of deliberately bombing the place, pointing out that this is not the first time the Assad regime tries to target the places where its captive militants are held.

Video: A Landscape of Destruction in Jobar in Damascus

A view of the landscape of destruction in Jobar, the section of northeast Damascus held by the opposition since February 2013:

Despite regular bombardment, airstrikes, and ground assaults, Assad regime forces have been unable to reclaim the area.