...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not
reallyMoslems....
(ISIS) remnants fired at least five mortar shells at the village of Topzawa in Daquq, an area south of Kirkuk,
... a thick stew of Arabs, Turkmen, Kurds, and probably Antarcticans, all of them mutually hostile most of the time...
on Thursday night, and attempted an armed ground assault, according to local sources.
This is the latest in a series of mortar attacks on villages in the Daquq area in recent days, indicating an uptick in bad boy activity in the disputed territory.
Although ISIS has not grabbed credit for any of the recent attacks, locals believes remnants of the group operating in the disputed territories are responsible.
"Late on Thursday night, ISIS shelled Topzawa village with at least five mortars," Rajab Kakei, head of the Daquq-based Mitra Organization for the Development of Yarsani Culture, told Rudaw English on Friday.
"The mortars didn’t hit any houses or properties inside the village, but around four ISIS individuals started to shoot at the houses, which was believed to be a ground attack by ISIS bad boys."
"Fortunately local Kakais responded to the attackers and the individuals left the village," Kakei said.
The Kakais are a distinct ethnic group in the disputed province of Kirkuk.
The shooting lasted for around 20 minutes. There are no reports of casualties and it is unclear why the holy warriors chose to target the village. Kakei claims federal cop shoppeed in the area failed to respond.
Shiekh Lewis Sindi, the mayor of Daquq, confirmed the Iraqi federal police have two brigades in Daquq to provide security for the town.
"Iraqi federal police have bases near every Kakei village in Daquq," Sindi told Rudaw English on Friday.
"We believe the mortars are originated from the Wadi al-Shay area southwest of Daquq town, since the area is full of ISIS bad boys," he added, without providing details.
Federal police were accused on Wednesday of killing nine members of the same family in the Daquq area after mistaking them for ISIS fighters, after holy warriors shelled another village in the area.