Islamic State execute four in Tal Afar for killing militants
A man about to be executed by Islamic State militant
Tal Afar (IraqiNews.com) Islamic State militants executed four civilians over accusations of killing two of their comrades in the stronghold town of Tal Afar, west of Nineveh.
A local source told Alsumaria News that a shooting squad from the extremist group executed a man and his three sons whom they believe had killed two militants a few weeks earlier in an ambush.
The source added that executions of civilians by the Islamic State have escalated over the past period over multiple charges, including collaboration with security forces and assaulting the fighters.
Islamic State has held Tal Afar since 2014, when the group occupied a third of Iraq to establish a self-styled “caliphate”.
The Iraqi government declared victory over IS in Mosul last month, while army-backed paramilitary forces isolated Tal Afar both from Mosul and from the Syrian borders. The Iraqi military command had pointed to Tal Afar as the next target of offensives designed to clear the country from IS militants.
The town has seen occasional mysterious assassinations of group leaders as well as instances of infighting among the militants themselves since operations launched to retake Mosul in October.