News / Iraq

Daesh militants flee as govt. forces close in on Iraqi town

Thursday, 01 September 2016 10:43 AM [ Last Update: Friday, 02 September 2016 3:22 AM ]

In this file photo, a Takfiri Daesh militant stands guard at a checkpoint in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. ©Reuters

Daesh militants are reportedly fleeing the Iraqi town of Hawijah as the Iraqi army and volunteer forces are gearing up for an operation to liberate the area in the Kirkuk province.

The al-Sumaria television on Thursday quoted a security source as saying that Daesh commanders had begun selling their properties in the town and were heading to Mosul with their families.

The source cited a state of despair among the Takfiri group's ranks amid growing defections and a drop in monthly salaries which have fallen from 350,000 Iraqi dinars (USD 291.5) to 50,000 Iraqi dinars (USD 41.6).

Jabbar Ma'amouri, a commander of the Popular Mobilization units, said Daesh commander Abu Jihad Saudi had fled Hawijah to an unknown destination, taking around $300,000 with him.

Ma’amouri said several Daesh commanders have recently left the town following a series of defeats at the hands of government forces in the provinces of Anbar, Salahuddin and Diyala.

An unnamed security official in Iraq’s northern province of Nineveh also said Daesh had appointed a 10-year-old boy of German origin (seen in the picture above) as the commander of “the execution battalion” in the area.

The official said the terrorist outfit has resorted to its so-called “Cubs of the Caliphate” unit, which consists of boys aged between 10 and 17, for executions following the sudden flight of senior members who were either disappointed at pay cuts or did not want to engage in gory killings of locals.

The northern and western parts of Iraq have been plagued by violence ever since Daesh terrorists mounted an offensive there more than two years ago. The militants have been committing crimes against all ethnic and religious communities in Iraq, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds and Christians.

The Iraqi army and volunteer fighters from the Popular Mobilization Units have been engaged in joint operations to retake militant-held regions.

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