The Islamic State (IS) militants on Sunday released 19 Christian Assyrians they had kidnapped last month, a monitoring group reported.
The 19 people are the first batch of 29 Assyrians the sharia court of the IS exonerated on Saturday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, Xinhua reported.
On February 23, the IS abducted 220 Christian Assyrians during an assault it had waged on predominantly Assyrian areas, mainly in the area of Tal Tamr and its countryside in Syria's northeastern province of al-Hasakah.
The fate of the other abductees is still unknown amid reports that the rest of the Assyrians are awaiting trials in the IS courts.
There is no clear reason why would the IS even put the Assyrians on trial.
Also on Sunday, the pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV said the Syrian troops captured as many as 33 towns in the eastern countryside of Hasaka after clashes with the IS.
Three Indians in Saudi Arabia convicted for a compatriot's murder have been saved from execution after an Indian businessman paid nearly half a million Saudi riyals (nearly $133,200) in blood money on their behalf,
An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Pakistan Saturday issued non-bailable arrest warrants against Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Mullah Fazlullah, spokesman Shahidullah Shahid and nine others even as Pakistan assured India that Mumbai terror attack mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi has not been released.
Anita, who has released two albums of Punjabi songs - "Heer from Denmark" and "Sadke Punjab Ton" - said her first encounter with Punjabi music and songs in 2005 brought out her inner voice of "this is where I belong".
An unverified Twitter account of the Pakistan defence ministry stated early Saturday: "News of Fazlullah's killing is being confirmed by Ministry of Defence."
