Syrian rebel group demands hostage swap for abducted nuns

uk.reuters.com...

(Reuters) - A Syrian rebel group calling itself "Free Qalamoun" has claimed the kidnapping of 12 nuns and said it wants to trade them for a thousand female detainees held by the government, a pan-Arab newspaper reported on Friday.

Rebel spokesman Mohannad Abu al-Fidaa told Asharq al-Awsat that the nuns were safe but "will not be released until several demands have been implemented, most importantly, the release of 1,000 Syrian women held in regime prisons".

Reuters could not independently confirm the report.

Reuters may not be able to verify the report but 12 nuns were kidnapped but the Pope is praying for them.

Pope prays for 12 nuns abducted in Syria by rebels

The rebels in Syria are a mixed and confusing bunch. Some are true native born Syrians who are tired of the Assad family rule and are taking up arms but many rebels are mercenaries and terrorists. But whenever I read an article about Syria it's usually about the rebels and it's rarely positive news. The last positive thing I read about the Syrian rebels was this,

Syrian rebels consider joining forces with regime troops to fight al-Qa’ida

If and when Assad falls the FSA will join the former regimes military to combat the terrorists. That's comforting.

www.cfr.org...


But then I read this in the news,

Lead ing Syrian rebels defect, dealing blow to fight against al-Qaeda

Two leaders of new Islamic front and one from Free Syrian Army's Supreme Military Council, announce their defection, deal blow to fight against extremists in Syria

The destabilization of the Middle East is a success for Western gov'ts and cronies. There is now no fixing Syria. It is literally stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Press TV: US, Israel ordered kidnapping of Syria nuns: Mark Glenn


RT: 'Monstrous' Terror: Islamist rebels hold nuns hostage in Syria


Maaloula Nuns Show Up In Video, They Are Safe


According to the last video there are 13 nuns. 13, not 12?

Latest Video Showing The "13" Nuns Safe And Well In A Villa Somewhere In Qalamoun Area, After Free Syrian Army And Rebels Moved Them Out Of Maaloula For Their Safety,

would 12 CIA agents = 1000 syrian woman as well?
are the nuns syrian? or are they foreign missionaries?


i need to know before i decide if i care...
im glad the pope is praying for them. at least SOMEONE is doing something useful...

reply to post by Bisman


You need to decide what before you care, if they're CIA or foreigners? Huh? Believe it or not Christians live in Syria because Syria has deep roots with the religion. The nuns were taken from a Christian village that has been under constant attack by the rebels/Al Qaeda. Takes literally 0.40 seconds to google.

Opposition fighters in Syria move 12 nuns from captured village

Opposition fighters in Syria have taken 12 nuns from a predominantly Christian village near Damascus and moved them to a rebel-held town, the mother superior of a Syrian convent said Tuesday.

Do you care now?

The Pope is the only one doing anything useful? I'm all for prayer/meditation but I'd hardly call it useful.

sry i was a little vague.

i was making a comment about how they are upselling the story because of them being specifically nuns.
not about how there are plenty of other victims of lesser "importance"
or our many cia there that could have been captured that we would just abandon.

and i agree that prayer is useless. the story mentions the pope seemingly just to show catholic support in a seemingly catholic issue. while a comment like "i will pray for them" is just the abandonment death sentence.

i didnt mean to make such little point. i was mobile for my first post and couldnt spend the time for a full reply while bouncing around in a car x.x

reply to post by Bisman


They're not upselling anything. Like I said, this Christian village has been in the news for at least a year now and there are plenty of articles past and present about everything else that's going on in Syria, as I've posted in the OP.

This is just 1 story of many brought to you by the Rebels.

Why is a nun worth more than one other person?
Like for like and I would agree.
I do hope they get out and everyone is safe.

reply to post by boymonkey74


What? Nobody but you and that poster said anything about nuns being worth more than any other person. Are you coming to these conclusions because the rebels are using them for demands? In that case, they do feel these nuns are worth more than Syrian citizens? Kidnapping nuns sure does play on the heart strings of the most popular religion, Christianity. If the demands aren't met will the execute them? I say they probably will.

reply to post by Swills


I just wondered why they want a thousand prisoners back when they have 12.
To me that says the nuns are worth about 80 odd prisoners each.

reply to post by boymonkey74


I gotta agree, what makes a Nun worth 85 normal people???

Terrorists never seem to be very good at maths in these cases, "weve got 13 people in this building here and if you dont release the 500 jihadists you have in custody within 24 hrs will kill these 13"

Sorry Im not trying to make light of the situation just pointing out these people arent very clever.

reply to post by boymonkey74


Capturing and using nuns for bargaining chips are worth more than Syrian citizens to the regime, or so these rebels think. The regime has been protecting the Christian village from the rebels/Al Qaeda in the past and continues to do so.

What's odd is the demand for 1000 captured women. I want to learn more about these women.

reply to post by IkNOwSTuff


Not 80 or 85, but one thousand captured Syrian women.

As I've said, the regime has been protecting the Christian village from the rebels and Al Qaeda so these rebels believe they can maybe get something for them.

Syrian army launches attack on hills around Christian village

BEIRUT – Syrian troops launched an attack Monday on hills overlooking a Christian-majority village near the capital Damascus, two days after rebel forces captured the ancient community, an activist group said.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said fighters from the Al Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra or Nusra Front and the Qalamon Liberation Front still control Maaloula, an ancient village that is home to two of the oldest surviving monasteries in Syria. Rebels captured the village on Saturday.

Or maybe this is all a distraction and apart of a bigger rebel agenda?

reply to post by Swills


12 Nuns for 1000 non nuns equals about 84 people per Nun, that was what I meant.

And yes, I didnt think about the 1000 women. Whats the deal with that?
Anyone got any info on who they are or why theyre being detained?

reply to post by IkNOwSTuff


Oh now I'm picking up what you're putting down.

Maybe these woman are the wives, daughters, and mothers of these men? Maybe these women don't exist and this suppose to be propaganda against the regime? Who are these women?