IS executes leader, detains three others over reluctance in Hawija

Hawija (IraqiNews.com) Islamic State executed one of its prominent leaders and detained three others in Hawija, southwest of Kirkuk, a paramilitary official said expecting bloody conflicts to occur within the group in short time.

“We have confirmed news that IS executed abu Moussa al-Shami, a prominent leader in the countryside of Hawija, over reluctance. He was shot to death,” Jabbar al-Maamouri, of al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces) told AlSumaria News on Wednesday.

“The group detained three other Arab nationals over the same accusation,” according to Maamouri, who expected “bloody conflicts to break out within the group due to the chaotic situation prevailing in the group.”

Earlier on the day, the group’s chief “investigator”, Abu Omar al-Iraqi , and four of his companions were reportedly killed in an air raid by Iraqi fighter jets.

Hawija and other neighboring regions, west of Kirkuk, have been held by IS since mid-2014, when the group emerged to proclaim an Islamic “caliphate” in Iraq and Syria. The group executed dozens of civilians and security members there, forcing thousands to flee homes.

Further reinforcements from the Federal Police were sent earlier this month from Baghdad to the town, as the military command declared, late August, the end of operations in Tal Afar, the militants’ last haven west of Nineveh, and the approach of the launch of offensives for Hawija.

Spokesperson of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command Yehia Rasool said, last week, there were 2000 IS militants inside Hawija.