Massacre of 300 Syrians in Deir ez-Zor by ISIS

Recent reports from the war zones in Syria indicate that fighters from the Islamic State (ISIS) have carried out a new massacre, abducting hundreds of Syrians and killing at least three hundred of them. Some reports also mention the abduction of 'four hundred' additional individuals by ISIS in the same area. This mass killing, which reportedly 'includes a large number of women, children, and elderly individuals,' occurred on Saturday, January 26, in the Deir ez-Zor region in eastern Syria. SANA, the Syrian state news agency, reported this massacre on Sunday, January 27, but the report has also been confirmed by other sources. The Syrian Human Rights Monitoring Center, which operates from London and has credible sources, confirmed the occurrence of this massacre. This human rights organization reported on January 27 that ISIS, in the context of recent battles for complete control over Deir ez-Zor, located in eastern Syria, has also taken around four hundred residents hostage. This organization emphasizes that at least 135 of the hostages were executed by ISIS in a mass execution. The human rights center states that about eighty-five of the dead were soldiers of Bashar al-Assad's army and pro-Damascus militia members who were beheaded. The Lebanese Hezbollah organization, whose militants fight alongside the Islamic Republic of Iran for the survival of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, reported on its affiliated news websites that 280 individuals were killed in 'horrific crimes' on Saturday by ISIS in the Deir ez-Zor region, emphasizing that women, children, and the elderly were among the dead. Hezbollah-affiliated websites wrote that in these actions, 'ISIS beheaded people, crucified some of them, and caused horrific bloodshed.' These websites added that about thirty ISIS suicide fighters detonated heavy bombs strapped to themselves, paving the way for the advance of other ISIS forces and the massacre of local people suspected of collaborating and supporting Bashar al-Assad's army. Meanwhile, ISIS confirmed on its affiliated Facebook page the 'advance of the soldiers of the Islamic Caliphate in Deir ez-Zor' and acknowledged the abduction and killing of dozens of individuals. At the same time, ISIS confirmed the continuation of battles in this war zone for complete control over the area. ISIS had attempted to dominate the city of Deir ez-Zor, the center of Deir ez-Zor province, from several routes. Apparently, the mentioned massacre is a result of ISIS's initial failure to control several targeted villages, but in the continuation of the battles, ISIS militants managed to dominate these areas and proceeded to behead and crucify people. The Syrian Prime Minister stated on January 27: 'Countries that support terrorists are complicit in these inhumane crimes.' The Deir ez-Zor province is significant for ISIS as it serves as a communication bridge between Raqqa, the center of the Islamic Caliphate in Syria, and Mosul, an area under the control of the same group in northwest Iraq. ISIS has controlled significant parts of Deir ez-Zor and its oil resources for the past two years and has been extracting and selling oil, but parts of the provincial center and its military airport are still under the control of forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad. Over the past year, ISIS has laid a severe siege on Assad's forces and their allies in this province, leading many people in surrounding areas to die of hunger. The Islamic State has previously committed widespread massacres in the Deir ez-Zor region. More than two hundred thousand people from Syria still live in these besieged areas under dire conditions and face shortages of food and medicine. In this context, three pro-Assad soldiers were killed in an airstrike in Deir ez-Zor. The 'Islamic State' has executed '3027 individuals' in Syria over the past year. ISIS also massacred 36 more members of a Sunni tribe in Iraq.