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The Beatings Will Continue: Iraqi Edition
 Mass grave of ISIS victims found in Anbar Anbar (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi army forces ran into two mass graves containing the bodies of unknown victims killed by Islamic State militants in Anbar province, a security source there said Thursday. The source told Alsumaria News that a force from the army’s 1st division found the graves in a sanitary dump behind al-Askari district in the town of Rutba, 310 km west of Ramadi. The source added that a team of forensic officials would arrive later to open up the graves to identify people the corpses belonged to. Several mass graves have been found as Iraqi security forces recaptured several areas held by IS militants since 2014. Islamic State regularly executed security agents and civilians collaborating with security or violating its extreme religious rules. The group has been holding a few hideouts in western Anbar since 2014 that are still awaiting an official order for security operations. Iraqi and U.S.-led coalition fighter jets regularly carry out airstrikes against the group’s locations in those areas. Battles between Islamic State and Iraqi troops have displaced at least 191.000 civilians, according to government data. The extremist group has regularly targeted and executed people attempting to flee areas under its control, according to citizens and aid groups. ISIS detains 3 ISIS troops for arguing Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) Islamic State has jailed three of its leaders for attempting to dissent with the group, local sources said Thursday as the group braces for further battles with government forces. “Forces from Daesh (Islamic State) carried out raids today at Bab al-Toub and al-Dawasah, and arrested three of its leaders,” the source told Alsumaria News. They are all Nineveh locals, including an assistant to the group’s official on mosques. “Initial information available regarding the reasons for the arrests denote that the detainees were accused of attempting to break with the group,” said the source. Since the Iraqi government launched an offensive in mid October to retake Mosul from Islamic State, the extremist group has sustained severe losses in personnel and ground. It has also bee stricken with divisions and infighting, with reports of attempted dissent and executions of delinquent fighters growing. Recent reports have said that the idea of dishonoring the pledge of allegiance to the group’s supreme leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, have become on the table as Baghdadi’s whereabouts or survival proved to be questionable. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in a recent interview with France 24 that his government was aware of Baghdadi’s location, and that he had lost many of vital leaderships around him. Iraqi troops recaptured eastern Mosul on January 24th after three months of battles, and are awaiting government orders to invade the IS-held west. 9 total die in rocket attacks in Mosul Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) Rockets launched by Islamic State militants on Thursday killed a school student in eastern, while other rockets from a yet unknown source killed eight in the west. Shafaaq News website quoted medical and security sources saying a student was killed and five others were wounded by rockets launched on al-Muthanna district in eastern Mosul. Iraqi troops recaptured eastern Mosul from IS on January 24th after three months of battles, but the extremist group had used to attack areas it lost to security forces, leading to security and civilian deaths on several occasions. Security generals said recently they foiled several attempts by the militants to cross the Tigris River into eastern Mosul to carry out attacks against the forces. In western Mosul, Anadolu Agency quoted local and medical sources saying eight civilians were killed and 16 others were wounded when rockets launched from the security-controlled eastern region landed on a popular marketplace. Mohamed Gamal, a resident of Bab al-Toub, told the agency that several mortar missiles landed on the dense area, leaving casualties and destroying several stores. Since retaking eastern Mosul, Iraqi government forces have been awaiting orders from the supreme military command, headed by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, to invade IS strongholds in western Mosul. 2 ISIS operators die in small arms attack in Salahuddin Salahuddin (IraqiNews.com) A local source in Salahuddin Province revealed that two members of the Islamic State were killed in an attack launched by an armed attack in Sharqat, north of the province, Alsumaria News reported on Thursday. The source said, “Two members of the Islamic State, riding a motorcycle in an agriculture road in Sharqat were killed, today, by an armed attack launched by unidentified gunmen.” “The Islamic State mobilized its members in the area of incident, which is considered the first of its kind since many months,” the source added. Noteworthy, Islamic State group is still controlling many areas in the district of Sharqat. ISIS abducts 385 fleeing Hawija Kirkuk (IraqiNews.com) The self-proclaimed Islamic State group abducted 385 persons fleeing from Hawija District, southwest of Kirkuk, a source told Alsumaria News on Thursday. The source said, “Members of the Islamic State abducted 260 persons near Dhibat Village, while moving toward Maktab Khalid area, southwest of Kirkuk.” “The terrorist group also abducted 125 persons near Haml Village in Hamrin,” the source added. “These persons were fleeing from Hawija District, southwest of Kirkuk, and were abducted for leaving the land of caliphate and collaborating with security forces,” the source explained. “The Islamic State took the abductees to the center of Hawija District,” the source further added. Noteworthy, Hawija District, in addition to the areas of Rashad, Riyad, Abbasi and Zab are still under the control of the Islamic State. Posted by: badanov 2017-02-10 |
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