U.S. announces $5m reward for info on kidnapped bishops in Syria

The U.S. State
Department’s Rewards for Justice Program has offered a $5 million for
information on the Daesh network responsible for kidnapping Christian clerics
Maher Mahfouz, Michael Kayyal, Yohanna Ibrahim and Paolo Dall'Oglio, as well as
Boulos Yazigi.
“These rewards
are being offered at an important moment in our fight against Daesh,” the
statement said. “The kidnapping of religious leaders demonstrates Daesh’
ruthless tactics and approval of targeting innocent individuals.”
The Greek
Orthodox Church of Antioch and the Syriac Orthodox Church have issued a
statement regarding a number of worrisome reports regarding the fate of bishops
in which they deemed “unattached” by any means to the efforts by the two
churches regarding the crisis.
The statement
also denounced fake news and reports regarding erroneous information and
conclusions about the bishops.
The churches
further thanked all individuals and authorities concerned with the case,
calling upon all people to pray for them.
A Lebanese
newspaper reported Germany-based Syrian Orthodox priest Samuel Gümüs as saying
that the archbishops were being held prisoner by Daesh militia besieged in the
Baghuz area of eastern Syria.
However, the
Lebanese newspaper cautions that it is hard to ascertain the accuracy of the
information.
The Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights has revealed before that the Syrian Democratic
Forces (SDF) and the US-led coalition are concealing information regarding the
bishops, while the SDF and the international coalition remained silent.
In 2016, the
London University issued a book about Yohanna Ibrahim during a conference
regarding coexistence and dialogue on his third abduction anniversary.
Mar Gregorios
Yohanna Ibrahim disappeared on 22 April, 2013 along with Greek Orthodox
Metropolitan of Aleppo Boulos al-Yazigi in the area between the Syrian
metropolis and the border with Turkey. Since then, no group involved in the
Syrian conflict has officially claimed the kidnapping of the two Metropolitan
Bishops. Also, Italian Jesuit Father Dall'Oglio, abducted that same year, is
also said to be held by the same kidnappers.