IS holding 20.000 civilians in Shirqat: observatory
Displaced Iraqi civilians rescued at the site of battle rest at the positions of Iraqi forces at the Old City in Mosul, Iraq June 29, 2017. REUTERS/Erik De Castro
Shirqat (IraqiNews.com) Islamic State members are holding 20.000 civilians in a town in Salahuddin amid hiking commodity prices, a human rights monitor said Monday.
The Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights said IS traps 20.000 in the eastern part of Shirqat town, which has been under the militant group’s control since 2014.
The organization urged the Iraqi government to hasten with military operations to retake the town from IS, arguing that “violations endured by the residents of the eastern side of Shirqat had been extensive and as serious as those that took place in western Mosul.”
It added that the violations are coupled with heating commodity prices.
Having concluded its eight-month campaign against IS in Mosul last week, Iraq’s government will head towards liberating other IS strongholds across Iraq where thousands of civilians still suffer under IS siege.
Violence and armed conflicts left more than 700 Iraqis dead and wounded during the month of June, according to a monthly count by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq which excludes security members deaths.
Since its emergence in 2014 to proclaim an Islamic “Caliphate”, IS tortured and executed thousands of civilians for multiple reasons including attempting to escape its domains.
The war against Islamic State has displaced more than four million Iraqis since January 2014, according to the Iraqi government numbers.