An estimated 90 residents of Assyrian Christian villages have been abducted by militants of the Islamic State, according to reports.
A group that tracks violence in Syria, called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, reported the abductions Tuesday, Feb. 24, according to Reuters.
ISIS raided the villages at dawn, Reuters reported. Those villages are "inhabited by the ancient Christian minority west of Hasaka."
The human rights group, based in London, said sources heard the militants talking about the captures on wireless devices, according to CNN.
Why ISIS is taking over territories
Militants with ISIS are working to create a caliphate, or form of Islamic government, led by a person who is considered to be a successor to the prophet Muhammad. It is attempting to do so across Syria and Iraq.
Assyrians have been targeted because they are predominantly Christian. The militants have warned Christians there to convert to Islam, or face death.