Christian Iraqi woman, kidnapped by IS for three years, freed in Syria
IS fighters
“Group of our members, in coordination with others in Syria, managed to free Rita Habib, a Christian woman from Nineveh, west of Iraq,” the Babylon movement, fighting under the umbrella of al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces)
“Habib has been abducted by IS for three years. She was freed at Deir al-Zour in Syria , east of Syria,” it added.
The militant group has kidnapped thousands of Yazidi and Christian women after controlling large regions in Iraq and Syria. On July 10, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory over Islamic State militants who had held Mosul, the second largest Iraqi city since 2014.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi said in November that his country defeated Islamic State over the military level, but will declare final victory after desert areas are purged of militants.
A government campaign, backed by paramilitary troops and the coalition has been fighting, since October 2016, the militant group, which declared a self-styled “caliphate” from Mosul in June 2014.
The war against IS has displaced nearly five million people, with tens of thousands of civilians and militants killed since the launch of the offensives to recapture occupied cities.