Italian women held hostage in Syria release video

A video released late Wednesday evening appears to show two Italian women being held by Syrian militants, saying they are in danger of being killed.

There is some confusion as to who is keeping them hostage, however. International news reports initially said that the women were Italian workers who were detained by al Qaeda's Nusra Front in Syria, but websites and Twitter accounts used by the militant group did not mention the video, which also did not include any logos of the group.

The YouTube video shows two young caucasian women wearing black niqabs holding a sign which gives the date as Dec. 17, 2014. They identify themselves as the two woman who were kidnapped in Syria last August. 

"We supplicate our government and its militaries to bring us back home before Christmas," says one woman, in English, appearing to read from a prepared statement.

"We are in big danger and we could be killed. The government and its militaries are responsible (for) our lives."

The Italian foreign ministry is yet to comment on the issue, however in August the ministry had said that two Italian aid workers had been kidnapped in Syria, without giving their names.

According to the August statement the two women had been working on humanitarian projects in the northern city of Aleppo, and added that “all channels were being explored to obtain more information and secure their release.” It did not give details of their captors.

Nusra Front and the militant Islamic State group have both held Westerners hostage in Syria, which is being ravaged by a bloody civil war.

Islamic State beheaded several male hostages including aid workers and journalists in 2014, however Nusra Front released hostages last year, including a group of Greek Orthodox nuns in March and an American writer last August.