A Syrian Christian fighter allegedly captured and beheaded an Islamic State jihadi in revenge for the terrorist group’s violence against Middle East Christians.
The report came from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based organization that has become a key resource for exclusive intelligence from Syria. Its director, Rami Abdul Rahman, told Agence France-Presse the terrorist was found in a village of Hasakeh province called Tal Shamiram, whose people are Christians from the Assyrian ethnic group.
The Christian fighter is a member of the Syriac Military Council, a militia formed by and for members of the Assyrian minority, who are also called Syriacs. According to the Observatory, his unit was fighting alongside the YPG, a force of ethnic Kurds that is combating Islamic State, in parallel with the Kurdish Peshmerga of Iraq. (RELATED: Rogue Americans And Iraqi Christians Among Forces Pushing Back ISIS)
Abdul Rahman told AFP the Assyrian “took him prisoner and when he found out he was a member of IS… beheaded him in revenge for abuses committed by the group in the region.” The official Observatory report added the beheading was performed with “a sharp tool.”
Islamic State first targeted Christians in Iraq during its previous incarnation as a branch of al-Qaida in that country. Since declaring its independence as a terrorist network and expanding through Iraq and Syria, its militants have also perpetrated horrific crimes against Christians in multiple countries, most infamously beheading Egyptian Christian migrants in Libya. (RELATED: Here’s How ISIS Justifies Its Oppression Of Christians)
Other sources were not able to independently confirm the Observatory’s claim.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.