ISIS herds 25,000 civilians from Salahuddin to Kirkuk as potential human shields
A detained man accused of being an Islamic State fighter is pictured east of Mosul on October 26, 2016. Image credit Tomasevic.
(IraqiNews.com) Salahuddin – Islamic State militants have forced nearly 25,000 civilians from the western part of Salahuddin’s Sharqat precinct to Hawija, Kirkuk to use them as future human shields, according to a municipal official.
Ali Al-Dawdah said Tuesday the militant group confiscated the civilians’ ID and food rations cards before herding them to Hawija. “The terrorist group brought huge buses and trucks, forcing nearly 25.000 civilians to move to Hawija, southwest of Kirkuk.”
“ISIS called upon the people through mosques loudspeakers to evacuate the western area,” Dawdah added, explaining that the militants would presumably use the confiscated IDs to conceal their identities from security apparatuses.”
Iraqi joint forces said in September they had totally liberated Sharqat from ISIS. Government forces, assisted by popular militias and US aircraft continue campaigns across Iraq to liberate areas held by ISIS since the group emerged to the conflict’s scene in Iraq in 2014.