Assyrians in Syria pray for the release of abducted fellow Christians

Damascus: The prayers of Assyrians ring though this church in Jaramana, near the Syrian capitol Damascus.

They’re Assyrian Christians from both Syria and Iraq, and they’re praying for the release of at least 150 people taken by Islamic State militants from Assyrian villages in northeastern Syria on Tuesday.

For father Tom Stevokaka, the abduction is a barbarity that’s totally out of place in this modern world.

ASSYRIAN CHRISTIAN PRIEST, TOUMA STEVOKAKA, SAYS: “We are in the age of internet, science and development. We hope we all return to our senses and show humanity and respect for others regardless of whether they are Christians, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists or Hindus.”

An Iraqi man at the church calls the captives his “brothers” — Syrian or Iraqi, they’re all Christians.

IRAQI ASSYRIAN, TONY ASHOURI, SAYS: “We are one people. We cannot differentiate between Iraqi Christians and Syrian Christians”

A Syrian Christian group representing several NGO’s in and outside of Syria verifies the kidnapping, saying the victims include women and children.

The U.S. Department of State has condemned the abductions and says hundreds of others remain trapped in villages surrounded by fighting that has displaced more than 3,000 people in that region.