According to statistics carried out prior to the Syrian war and the Islamic State (ISIS) attacks on the region where Assyrians lived, more than 25,000 Assyrians lived in Syria, including 8,000 in the town of Tel Tamr in the northwest of Hasakah, northeast Syria, and areas on the banks of al-Khabur River. Now, only 1,000 Assyrians remain there.
In early 2015, ISIS attacked Christian villages on the banks of al-Khabur River in Tel Tamr and took control of 33 Assyrian villages for over three months. The group killed and abducted around 280 Assyrians, including more than 50 children and 100 women. ISIS destroyed seven churches in those villages, including St. Mary Church in the village of Tel Nasri, which was a significant religious destination for Assyrians in Syria.
