Syria condemns IS attack on Christians

Syria's foreign ministry Friday condemned the Sunni radical group Islamic State (IS) for carrying out attacks on the Christian Assyrian community in northeastern part of the country, Xinhua reported citing Syrian state news agency SANA.

The ministry, in letters sent to the UN, pinpointed the "terrorist acts" of the IS group against the Assyrian community, according to the report.

It said that IS unleashed attacks on tens of predominantly Assyrian villages, including Tal Hurmoz, Tal Shamiram, Tal Rumman, Tal Nasra and many towns in the countryside of the northeastern al-Hasakah province, killing several people and kidnapping around 200 civilians.

Over 690 families were also displaced in the IS attack, not to mention the desecration of places of worship, including churches by the militants, the ministry added.

It said the burnt church of Tal Hurmoz was one of the most ancient churches in Syria and the world.

The ministry noted that the IS attacks added to the series of "crimes" by terrorist groups, which often target religious places, holy shrines and ancient cemeteries.

"Those crimes would not have been done if it wasn't for the ongoing and direct support the terrorist groups are receiving from well-known countries," the ministry said.

The ministry urged the international community to shoulder its responsibilities in fighting terrorism and radical groups through coordination with the Syrian government and "honest" implementation of UN anti-terror resolutions.

The ministry said the Syrian government was ready to cooperate with "honest and true" parties on countering terrorism.

The number of Assyrian Christians kidnapped by IS in northern Syria has risen to 220 since Tuesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a group monitoring the war in Syria, said Thursday.

It said Friday that IS, so far, has not executed any of the Christian Assyrians it had abducted in Syria.