Islamic State kidnap 11 young men for unknown reasons in western Mosul
Members of the Islamic State. File photo.
Ikhnews quoted the sources as saying that the young men, whose ages ranged from 20 to 26, were taken from their homes at gunpoint to an unknown destination.
Islamic State lost at least 3000 fighters and its strongholds in eastern Mosul until January 24th to Iraqi government forces who battled the group in Iraq’s second largest city since mid October. The extremist militia is still holding the majority of the 99 districts in the west, and government forces are preparing for a ground invasion of that region but expect a tougher battle due to the existence of 750.000 civilians there.
Since its emergence in 2014 to proclaim a so-called “Islamic Caliphate” across Iraq and Syria, Islamic State has been infamous for executions and kidnappings of civilians.
But reports has been common over the last two months of divisions within the group’s ranks, with many leaders also being demoted for battle failures and fighters being executed or deployed to the frontline as a punishment for delinquency. The group also has been reported to recruit civilians, including children, to forcibly join its fight against security forces.