Gunmen in Syria have kidnapped six Red Cross workers and one volunteer from the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. The kidnappings took place Sunday in northwest Syria. The International Committee of the Red Cross spoke with Reuters in Geneva confirming that the seven individuals have been kidnapped and that the ICRC is working on getting the people freed. The ICRC would not release the names, genders or nationalities of the seven kidnapped. Ewan Watson, a spokesman for the ICRC spoke to Reuters saying:
"I am able to confirm that six ICRC staff members and one Syrian Arab Red Crescent volunteer have been abducted near Idlib in northwestern Syria. We are calling for [the] immediate and unconditional release of this team, which was delivering humanitarian assistance to those most in need - and we do that on both sides of the frontlines." The Guardian is reporting that the abductions took place around 11:30am local time when the Red Cross team was heading back to Damascus.
According to an anonymous official speaking with the Syrian state news agency, the gunmen assaulted the team while they were travelling on the road toward Damascus. The gunmen fired on the team's four-car convoy before grabbing the Red Cross workers. Reports are saying the Syrian news agency is blaming "terrorists" for the kidnapping. "Terrorists" is a term the Syrian government uses to describe anyone in opposition to the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. The seven Red Cross workers have been working in the area since October 10.
It is still unclear who is behind the kidnappings as well as the motives for the abductions. The Syrian civil war is raging on; the anti-Assad rebellions began in March of 2011. Foreign journalists and aid workers have been made the target of the large number of kidnappings and killings that have ravaged the country since 2011. Reporters without Borders calls Syria one of the "most dangerous countries in the world" for reporters to work out of. There have been 33 journalists kidnapped in Syria since 2011. Another 25 journalists have been killed working in the country.
Twenty-Two Syrian Red Crescent volunteers have been killed since the rebellions began. The Civil War in Syria has claimed over 100,000 civilian lives. Over two million people have been forced from their homes and fled the country. In other news surrounding the Syrian civil war a car bomb exploded on Monday killing 20 people including a young child. Many people were injured and some are in critical condition. CNN is reporting the death toll is estimated to rise.
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