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IS claims to release 300 Syrian cement workers, TV says 175 executed

Xinhua, April 9, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Islamic State (IS) claimed on Friday to have released 300 workers abducted from a cement factory, after earlier TV reports said 175 workers had been executed.

In a statement carried by the IS' Amaq news agency on Friday, the group still detain 20 workers, and has executed four workers from the Druze minority, which is considered as an infidel sect by the IS creed.

The statement said the militants had moved the workers to a secure place after capturing the cement factory in the town of Dumair, northeast of the capital Damascus earlier this week.

It added that the workers were given medical treatment and food.

The hostages have been interrogated by the IS militants to "find out whether there were non-Muslims or regime members among them," the statement said.

The detained 20 workers were confirmed as the members of the National Defense Forces, a paramilitary force backing the Syrian army.

Meanwhile, the Military Media in Damascus, a semi-official channel covering the battles in Syria, reported that when the IS militants attacked the factory, there were 260 employees, 30 of whom were drivers.

"The IS interrogated those workers and set free the majority of them at 3:00 a.m. Thursday," the channel said, adding that some released workers reached a position of the Syrian army in the city of Jairod north of Damascus, while others reached the military airbase of Dumair, which is close to the factory.

It said six workers were slaughtered in front of their colleagues after being interrogated, adding that 30 workers are still being held by the IS.

Since the attack took place, conflicting reports emerged from different news outlets, with the state media acknowledging the attack without giving details.

Earlier Friday, pan-Arab al-Mayadeen said the IS had executed 175 workers. The Syrian army responded with a statement that it didn't give any information to any channel about the fate of the abductees.

A group of rebels, who pledged alliance to the IS, were reported behind the attack on the factory and a nearby airbase in Dumair.

The Syrian army has repelled the attack on the airbase, but the IS still controls the factory. Endit