News reports have highlighted the fact that the so-called Islamic State has released 22 elderly Assyrian Christians that it had kidnapped from villages in the North-East of Syria.

The captives were taken earlier in 2015 , though according to the UK based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, estimates put the remaining group at about 150 people.

The captives were taken when Islamic State fighters captured over a dozen villages in the Hasaka region. Christian communities have resided in this area for over a millennia and many of the residents are of Kurdish heritage.

There are differing views as to whether a ransom had been paid for the release of the 22 individuals and this release follows a further release of captives that took place in March 2015.

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