Syria kidnapping: 'they cut my finger off'

Two bishops who were travelling from the Turkish border to their diocese in the city of Aleppo in Syrian have been kidnapped.

The state media described their kidnappers as terrorists. The bishops were identified as the head of the Assyrian Orthodox Church in Aleppo and the head of the Greek Orthodox Church there.

Abductions - quite apart from the killing on both sides - are an increasing concern.

The BBC's Middle East Editor Jeremy Bowen reports on a fear that is shared by supporters and opponents of President Assad, from the Syrian capital Damascus.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Tuesday 23 April 2013.