ISIS executes judge in Ninevah
Mosul (IraqiNews.com) The Islamic State has killed its judge of the so-called Tigris State for refusing to partake in an attack on security forces, a local source from Nineveh has said.
Speaking on condition of anonymity to Alsumaria News on Tuesday, the source said “such groups beheaded the judge in front of the people after he refused to take part in an attack against security troops in Mosul.
This step comes within a new strategy adopted by IS to force its leaders to fight and to encourage local people to fight in the battle of Mosul, which is the biggest IS stronghold in Iraq. Reports of IS executing members for slack fighting or attempts to escape battlefields have been recurrent since the start of the security campaign in Mosul in October.
Eastern Mosul was recaptured from IS in January, after a US-backed offensive was launched in October. A new offensive started in February to retake the west. The government troops have recently pushed deeper into the Old City, a densely-populated and -structured area which military officials view as central to the desired victory over IS militants.
Battles in the west are believed to be much more difficult due to the density of residential areas and the high number of civilians.
ISIS kidnaps 4 Iraqi militia in Diyala
Baqubah (IraqiNews.com) A local source in Diyala Province informed that the Islamic State militants abducted four members of al-Hashd al-Ashaeri, northeast of Baqubah, Al Sharqiyah News reported on Tuesday.
The source said, “Today, members of the Islamic State group raided a house belonging to a civilian in Jabour Village, near the areas of Hamrin and al-Saadiyah to abduct him, but they did not find him.”
The militants then attacked a checkpoint belonging to al-Hashd al-Ashaeri, abducted four of its members and transfer them to an unknown destination, the source added.
Furthermore, the source explained that security forces arrived in the area of incident, and imposed strict procedures to search for the Islamic State militants and free the abductees.
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ISIS families flee Raqqa
I bet you'd do the same if it was you.
[ARA News] As the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) continue their push into the Islamic State’s (ISIS) de facto capital of Raqqa, families of ISIS jihadis started to escape the city.
Local sources confirmed that dozens ISIS jihadis were able to flee the city with their families since Monday.
“More than 50 ISIS jihadists fled Raqqa city along with their families during the past two days,” a local media activist told ARA News on Wednesday.
The source said that the escapees used boats to cross the Euphrates River.
“They were seen heading to the southern bank of the Euphrates by boats,” an eyewitness said, speaking to ARA News on condition of anonymity.
Hundreds of ISIS jihadists have escaped Raqqa since the US-backed SDF troops launched a major operation to isolate and eventually liberate Raqqa city from the radical group last November.
This comes as part of the third phase of the Euphrates Wrath Operation, aimed at liberating Eastern Raqqa from ISIS jihadists, launched by the SDF on 4 February.
During the first phase of Euphrates Wrath, which began on November 6, 2016, the SDF liberated roughly 560 km² in Northern Raqqa.
On 10 December, the SDF launched the second phase of the Euphrates Wrath, during which it captured over 2500 km² in Western Raqqa.
The campaign is ultimately aimed at isolating the ISIS radical group in its de facto capital.