'IS' takes Christians in Syria

The US-led coalition launched airstrikes against "Islamic State" after the group kidnapped 220 Assyrians - one of the highest hostage tolls since the sudden "IS" seizure of territory in both Syria and Iraq last summer. The fate of the Christians, believed to still be in Syria, remains unknown.

On Wednesday evening, the UN Security Council had "strongly condemned" the abductions, which began earlier this week, and demanded the immediate release of hostages taken by IS and similar groups. The United States also condemned the attacks, threatening that the international community had united in its resolve to "end ISIL's depravity," using an acronym for the group's former name.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that IS had picked up dozens more Assyrians, indigenous Christians who trace their roots back to ancient Mesopotamia, from 11 communities near the town of Tal Tamr in Hassakeh province on Thursday. Predominantly Kurdish, but with significant populations of Arabs and predominantly Christian Assyrians and Armenians, the province on the borders of Turkey and Iraq has become the latest battleground in the fight against IS in Syria.

On Monday, IS had attacked a cluster of villages along the Khabur River, sending thousands of people fleeing to safer areas. Some Assyrians have reported that upwards of 300 Christians were abducted.

IS has yet to claim the kidnappings. However the group is known for its attacks on religious minorities.

'Prophet ordered us'

In Iraq on Thursday, IS did take credit for attacking sites holy to Assyrians. A five-minute video released by IS shows a black-clad man at a nearby archaeological site inside Mosul drilling through and destroying a winged-bull Assyrian protective deity that dates back to the seventh century BC.

"Oh Muslims, these artifacts that are behind me were idols and gods worshipped by people who lived centuries ago instead of Allah," a bearded man tells the camera as he stands in front of the partially demolished winged-bull. "Our prophet ordered us to remove all these statues as his followers did when they conquered nations," the man in the video adds.

The video shows men inside the Mosul Museum using hammers and drills to destroy several large statues. The Associated Press news agency reported that IS posted the video on social media accounts affiliated with the group and that it appeared authentic, though no one had independently verified it.

The news comes as international media reported that famed IS executioner, dubbed "Jihad John," was a British citizen

mkg/msh (Reuters, AFP, dpa, AP)