Daesh terrorists holding 27 hostage in Syria’s Sweida, says HRW

Human Rights Watch (HRW) says members of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group are holding 27 people captive in Syria’s southwestern province of Sweida, condemning the hostage-taking as a “war crime.”

The New York-based international non-governmental organization said on Saturday that the abductees mostly consist of women and children, who were kidnapped on July 25 when Daesh launched a massive assault in the province and killed more than 250 people.

HRW stressed that the Takfiris are holding the civilians hostage in order to use them as bargaining chips in negotiations with the Damascus government and Russia.

“Civilian lives should not be used as bargaining chips,” said Lama Fakih, deputy Middle East director at HRW.

There are reports that at least two people have died ever since Daesh extremists took more than 30 people hostage in the July offensive.

A 19-year-old male student was beheaded, and a 65-year-old woman died earlier this month.

Moreover, two women managed to escape captivity.

Villagers have provided the names of at least 27 people being held by Daesh. Children as young as seven are among them, according to activists in Sweida province.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The Syrian government says the Israeli regime and its Western and regional allies are aiding Takfiri terrorist groups wreaking havoc in the country.

Press TV