Beirut: Militants from Daesh have kidnapped at least 90 Assyrian Christians in northeast Syria, a monitor said on Tuesday.

The abductions took place after Daesh seized two Assyrian villages from Kurdish forces in the province of Hassakeh, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Britain-based monitor had no details on the missing Assyrians, who were taken from two villages — Tal Shamiram and Tal Hermuz — after they were attacked by Daesh.

There were just 30,000 Assyrians in Syria before the country’s conflict erupted in March 2011, with most of them living throughout Hassakeh province.

The mass Daesh abduction of Assyrians appeared to be the first of its kind in Syria, but the group has become infamous for its abuses, including the mass kidnapping of minority Kurdish Yazidis in Iraq.

It also abducted dozens of Kurdish students in Syria last year, freeing them only after months in captivity.

Daesh has destroyed churches and Christian shrines in Syria, and demanded that Christians living under its rule pay a tax known as jizya.

Fierce clashes broke out on Monday between Daesh and YPG forces for control of the two villages as well as the nearby town of Tal Tamr, which remains under Kurdish control.

In Libya, Daesh militants last week released a video showing the beheadings of 21 mostly Egyptian Christians.

Much of Hassakeh is divided between Kurdish and Daesh control.

Fighters from the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) have been on the offensive in the province in recent days.

They have taken 24 villages and hamlets as part of an operation to try to recapture the town of Tal Hamis and surrounding areas.

Tal Hamis lies to the east of the villages taken by Daesh on Tuesday.

YPG forces have also been on the offensive in Raqa province, which neighbours Hassakeh, seizing 19 villages as they advance following their recapture of the strategic border town of Kobani, also known as Ain Al Arab, last month.

The Kurdish forces have been backed by US-led air strikes launched by the international coalition fighting Daesh.

The Observatory said the coalition carried out a series of strikes around Tal Hamis on Tuesday that killed 14 Daesh members.