Iraqi army frees five kidnapped by Islamic State
An Islamic State militant kills an Iraqi civilian
Anbar (IraqiNews.com) – An Iraqi mayor has said that army troops have freed five people, who were kidnapped by Islamic State militants last Friday in western Iraq.
Mayor Hussein al-Akidi of Rawa city in the western province of Anbar told SNG News that an army force launched a military operation in al-Madham district, west of Rawa, to free the five civilians, who were kidnapped while gathering desert truffles in the desert of the province.
The troops managed to flee the abductees and moved them to a safe place, the mayor added.
On Monday, a security source said that 12 Iraqi people, including five security men, were kidnapped by the militant group in Umm al-Jedaan area, west of Anbar province.
Two of the kidnapped security men were found later dead, the source said.
Iraq declared the collapse of Islamic State’s territorial influence in Iraq in November 2017 with the recapture of Rawa, a city on Anbar’s western borders with Syria, which was the group’s last bastion in Iraq.
Islamic State group appeared on the international scene in 2014 when it seized large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria, declaring the establishment of an Islamic “caliphate” from Mosul city. Later on, the group has become notorious for its brutality, including mass killings, abductions and beheadings, prompting the U.S. to lead an international coalition to destroy it.