Secretary-General Mohammed Yahya Maktabi said that the Syrian Coalition is closely following reports about ISIS’s abduction of dozens of Syriac families from in town Al-Qaryetein in eastern Homs province in what looks like a crime on sectarian grounds given that the abductees are all from the Syriac Christian component.
While Maktabi strongly condemns this crime, he stresses that the Assad regime is partially responsible as it withdrew its forces stationed in the town on Wednesday after short clashes with ISIS. This left residents of the town vulnerable to ISIS in a repeat of the Tadmur scenario.
Maktabi stresses that the Assad regime has repeatedly facilitated ISIS takeovers of areas with sectarian and ethnic diversity to politically exploit the situation. This further confirms that the Assad regime can no longer protect civilians in areas still under its control.
He noted that the Syrian Coalition would do everything possible to investigate the details of this incident and ensure the release of the abductees. He calls upon the international community and the UN Security Council to shoulder their responsibilities towards peacekeeping and security in Syria. (Source: Syrian Coalition)
