April 6, - Islamist fighters in northern Syria released two dozen women and
children late on Sunday in exchange for a rebel commander held by pro-regime
forces, a monitoring group said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said
the 10 children and 15 women from Shiite towns in Aleppo province had been held
by Islamist faction Jaish al-Mujahideen.
In a deal
mediated by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), the women and children
were released in exchange for Yousef Zawaa, a Jaish al-Mujahideen commander who
was held by armed groups loyal to Syria's embattled regime. The Britain-based
Observatory said the women and children were from Zahraa and Nubol, two Shiite
towns that have been under rebel siege for more than 18 months.
"They were
kidnapped more than a year when crossing checkpoints on their way from Nubol
and Zahraa towards Damascus and Aleppo," said Observatory head Rami Abdel
Rahman. Zawaa was captured when he strayed into the pro-government enclave by
mistake, Abdel Rahman told.
Elsewhere in the
country, the Observatory said government air strikes had killed at least 17
people, including five children, in Idlib province in the northwest. Five of
the deaths were in Idlib city, which was captured from government forces on
March 28 by a coalition of Islamist groups, including Al-Qaeda affiliate
Al-Nusra Front.
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