Merciless ISIS fighters retreating from towns taken by their Kurdish enemies are planting mines in the bedrooms and bathrooms of homes to blow up returning families, it was claimed today. The bombs, which have so far killed 12 People's Protection Units (YPG) fighters, are being discovered in the Khabour region of Syria. YPG and Syriac Military Council forces are working to liberate the villages, as well as find and defuse the explosive devices. They were planted by the terrorists after they seized the area in February and kidnapped 250 civilians. The bombs are being hidden under beds, behind bedroom doors and even in bath tubs, as well as in crop fields in the north-eastern region of the country, which is predominantly Kurdish but also has populations of Arabs and predominantly Christian Assyrians and Armenians. It is the terror group's chilling new tactic aimed at wiping out minorities in Khabour. 'Property of Islamic State' and 'Your land is ours now, go to hell' are scrawled on the walls inside the homes of Assyrians who fled earlier this year. Diana Yaqco, a spokesman for A Demand for Action - a global initiative seeking protection for for Assyrians, Chaldeans, Syriacs and other ethnoreligious minorities in the Middle East - told MailOnline: 'This is a move that indicates Daesh (ISIS) anticipates the return of the Khabour residents. To prevent that from happening, they are prepared to take extreme measures. 'There is also confirmation of Islamic State suicide bombers lurking in the area.' In February, ISIS targeted communities nestled along the Khabur River and kidnapped Assyrian Christians, including women and children. A small number of these hostages have been released, including two elderly women last month, but the fate of the others is unknown. It has been reported that