The UN Security Council on Wednesday strongly condemned the abduction of Assyrians by the Islamic State (IS) group in northern Syria.
"Such crimes once again demonstrate the brutality of IS which is responsible for thousands of crimes and abuses against people from all faiths, ethnicities and nationalities and without regard to any basic value of humanity," the council said in a statement.
The council demanded an "immediate and unconditional" release of all those abducted by IS, Al-Nursa Front and all other individuals and groups associated with al-Qaida, stressing that those responsible for such acts must be held accountable.
On Monday, the IS militants snatched at least 90 Syrian Christians of the Assyrian minority from the towns of Tal Shamiram and Tal Hurmoz in the countryside of the predominantly-Kurdish city of Hasaka in northern Syria.