Syrian activists say the Islamic State group has released four more Christian hostages from dozens who were abducted by the extremists last week. The four hostages — a married couple, a woman and a 6-year-old girl — were released on Tuesday evening in northeastern Syria. The Assyrian rights group Demand for Action and Edmond Gabriel, chairman of the Assyrian Charitable Association, say the reasons for the release of the four were not immediately clear. Earlier this week, the Islamic State group released 19 Assyrian hostages after an IS Shariah court ordered them to pay an unspecified amount as a traditional tax on non-Muslims. At least 190 Assyrian Christians remain captives of the Islamic State group, which overran several Christian villages in Syria's eastern Hassakeh province.
