Islamic State besieges 100,000 civilians in Hawija: Source
ISIS uses civilians as human shields in Rawa.
Speaking to Baghdad Today on Tuesday, the source said, “Hawija has 100,000 besieged civilians. The militant group could use them as human shields during the battle.”
The group, according to the source, “will depend on anything as well as logistic and military measures to protect itself. This means the group will use civilians for protection.”
The source urged the government to reconsider the civilians’ lives and provide them with safe passageways ahead of the battle.
On Monday, four IS leaders, including deputy chief in charge of the militants affairs, were reportedly killed by residents, who were prompted by millions of airdropped messages by Iraqi jets over the past few days in Hawija.
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.
Earlier this week, further reinforcements from the Federal Police were sent from Baghdad to the town, as the military command declared last week, the end of operations in Tal Afar, the militants’ last haven west of Nineveh, and the approach of the launch of offensives for Hawija.