A syrian priest called on western countries to exert more efforts to help Syrians stuck in their war-ridden land, describing how a friend had rescued him after being kidnapped by the Islamic State and kept under its custody for 84 days.

"The most difficult part was hearing your kidnappers threatening to kill you if you did not convert to Islam," The priest of the Syriac Catholic Church Jacques Mourad said.

Mourad who was tossed in a small bathroom with another Syrian man, blindfolded, thought his end was drawing near, especially that their captors resembled exactly miltants who featured in the groups execution videos.

But he reveals that perhaps due to the sound reputation his convent has held for sheltering and helping Muslim and Christians people, the gunman offered him absolute protection during his detention period in Raqqah.