ISIS offers wimmin for sale in Kirkuk
Hawija (IraqiNews.com) Islamic State members are offering women they captured from Mosul for sale in Kirkuk, a local source was quoted saying Saturday.
The source told Alsumaria News that the women were kidnapped from Imam Gharbi, a village in southern Mosul from where the militant group was expelled by Iraqi security forces last week. A marketplace was set up for the purpose at one of the group’s headquarters in Hawija, 55 km southwest of Kirkuk, according to the source.
The abductees were offered to IS leaders for various prices, he added.
Islamic State has held Hawija since 2014, when the group emerged to proclaim a self-styled “Caliphate” in a third of Iraq and Syria. Since then, the group, according to news and humanitarian reports, has been infamous for holding women captives, forcing them to marry group members or work as sex slaves. The group has also killed thousands of civilians for attempting to flee its domains or collaborating with security forces.
Local tribal leaders and politicians from Kirkuk have mounted pressure on the Iraqi government to hasten with invading Hawija, suggesting that its people were experiencing a humanitarian crisis under the group’s rule. Having concluded its campaign in Mosul, the Iraqi government is planning to launch further offensives at other IS pockets across Iraq, including Hawija.
Refugees bribe ISIS to leave ISIS controlled areas in Anbar
Anbar (IraqiNews.com) A local source revealed on Sunday that 350 civilians had escaped areas controlled by the Islamic State (IS) west of Anbar governorate, according to Anadolu Agency.
Mayor of Rutba city in Anbar province, Emad al-Dulaimi, told Anadolu that 350 civilians, mostly women, children and the elders, managed to flee the IS-controlled areas of Annah, Qaim and Rawa west of Anbar Province before arriving to an office for displaced persons in Rutba city.
“Displaced people paid $300 per person to smugglers in order to escape the terror group,” he added.
Security forces and tribes currently control Rutba, where forces occasionally receive families who have escaped areas controlled by the IS
Iraqi troops were able to retake the biggest cities of Anbar including Fallujah, Ramadi and others. However, Anbar’s western towns of Annah, Qaim and Rawa are still held by the extremist group since 2014, when it emerged to proclaim a self-styled Islamic Caliphate.
Despite being occasionally pounded by Iraqi and U.S.-led coalition fighter jets, there has not been an officially-declared military campaign to free those regions.
Last week, dozens of Islamic State militants were reported killed and injured in airstrikes launched by the Iraqi army and U.S.-led coalition in western Anbar.
ISIS abandons HQ in Tal Far over security
Tal Afar (IraqiNews.com) Islamic State have evacuated many of its main headquarters in Tal Afar town, west of Mosul, a local source from Nineveh was quoted saying.
“IS has carried out emergency evacuations over the night at many of its main headquarters in Tal Afar, in west of Mosul, after some of them were targeted over the past few days, which left many of its leaders and fighters killed and injured,” the source told AlSumaria News.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source added “the group carried out the evacuations over the night due to its growing doubts over the people’s cooperation with security services, which contributed to the accurate airstrikes and inflicting losses on the group.’
IS flags, according to the source, remained on the top of evacuated buildings.
Earlier on the day, an anonymous source was quoted by AlSumaria as saying that huge explosion occurred at a field clinic, where IS injured militants are treated in the town, which urged the group to block the main roads.
“A huge blast took place in a residential building in Tal Afar town,” the source said adding that the building was found out to be a medical clinic for the injured militants.
“The reason behind the explosion is unknown,” the source said adding that the clinic is located in a residential alley, where families of Arab and foreign fighters are living.
Col. Ryan Dillon, spokesperson of the U.S.-led coalition against IS, was quoted on Sunday as saying that Tal Afar will be the next target of operations after victory was declared in Mosul.
On Saturday, 17 IS female members were killed and injured as unknown missile targeted a headquarter of the all-women al-Khansaa brigade in the town.
News reports mentioned that powerful blasts rocked the western suburbs of Tal Afar, earlier on Saturday, as airstrikes targeted a building with huge amount of explosives inside.
Lt.Gen. Abdul Amir Yarallah, of the Nineveh Operations Command, had said that the fourth phase of liberation will be launched soon to free Tal Afar and other regions to complete the liberation of the whole province.
Tal Afar is one of the important strongholds still held by IS in Nineveh since August 2014.
ISIS executes 1 in Kirkuk
Hawija (IraqiNews.com) Islamic State has ordered execution of one of its senior leaders over spying, southwest of Kirkuk, a security source said.
“The self-styled chief of the IS legislative court has ordered on Sunday evening the execution of one of the group’s prominent leaders in Hawija, southwest of Kirkuk,” the source told AlSumaria News. “The leader, abu Omar al-Jabouri, is known to be close to the group’s supreme leader abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.”
The group’s judge, according to the source, accused Jabouri of treason and espionage against the group.
Earlier on the day, a source was quoted saying that the group banned mourning ceremonies for its dead members in Kirkuk in order not to demoralize its fighters.
Hawija has been held by IS since mid-2014, when the group emerged to proclaim an Islamic “caliphate” in Iraq and Syria. The group executed dozens of civilians and security members there, forcing thousands to flee homes.
IS still holds three towns in western Anbar close to the borders with Syria, in addition to a few areas in Salahuddin, Diyala and Kirkuk.
Dozens of residents from Hawija and the regions in its vicinity escape to Kirkuk province on a daily basis. Despite the risky routes to the freed regions, the civilians prefer death to staying under IS control.
ISIS executes 3 in Jawjan
The ISIS militants have executed three of their comrades in northern Jawzjan province of Afghanistan, the local government officials said.
The incident has taken place in the vicinity of Qosh Tapa district of Jawzjan where the militants loyal to ISIS terrorist group are actively operating.
Provincial governor’s spokesman Mohammad Reza Ghafoori confirmed the incident and said the militants were apparently executed after they were accused of having links with the government.
He said the dead bodies of the slain militants were recovered from Alamlek village in Qosh Tapa district.
The anti-government armed militant groups have not commented regarding the report so far.
The security situation in Jawzjan province has started to deteriorate during the recent years with the rampant insurgency led both the Taliban and ISIS militants.
The ISIS militants executed at least three civilians in this province nearly four months ago, accusing them of supporting the government.
At least 52 farmers were abducted by the militants believed to having links with the ISIS terrorist group in mid-February this year.
At least six employees of the International Committee of Red Cross were also shot dead by militants in this province during the same month.
Local officials said the ICRC employees were shot dead by ISIS loyalists and at least two of them were kidnapped.