Mosul, Iraq (AINA) -- According to a report from ankawa.com, Sarah Edmond Youkhana, an Assyrian student in the Faculty of Education at the University of Mosul, was kidnapped on 12/28/2009. The kidnappers contacted her family and informed them they are an Islamic front, calling themselves "Islamic State of Iraq, an al-Qaeda organization." No demands were made.

Upon reporting the incident, security forces began arresting suspects, including students, allegedly connected with the kidnapping.

In the past month, Assyrians in the city of Mosul have witnessed several attacks, including the bombing of five churches and killing a number of civilians (report).

A series of attacks occurred in October of last year, prior to the elections. 15,000 Assyrians were driven out of Mosul because of violence targeted against them (AINA 10-16-2008).