Dozens of Iraqis shot dead as they flee Daesh press gangs

Takfiri Daesh militants have shot dead dozens of young men trying to flee the western quarter of Mosul to avoid being forced into the terrorist group’s ranks as Iraqi government forces and allies are preparing for a new stage of operations in the strategic northern city.

Local residents told English-language newspaper The Times on Thursday that at least 45 people, the youngest just 16 years old, were murdered by Daesh extremists this week.

The first mass killing happened on Monday, when 40 young men tried to swim from a partially destroyed bridge to government-held territory on the eastern bank of the Tigris River. Another five were shot dead the next day attempting the same escape.

The report added that the bodies of the victims were handed back to their relatives as a warning.

Abu Muqdad, from the Daesh-held al-Shifaa neighborhood, said four members of his family, including his nephew, had been shot dead.

“Daesh is trying to recruit young men by force. Many young people refused to join Daesh and like my nephew tried to escape. They wanted to swim to safety, but they were captured and executed immediately,” he said.

At least 750,000 civilians are estimated to be living under Daesh control in western Mosul. Many local residents are going through severe shortages of food and medicines, and are desperate to leave as the final battle for the liberation of Mosul is looming.

'Daesh's days are numbered'

“Life has become very hard. People are starving and waiting impatiently to get rid of Daesh. Daesh is watching people and trying to find any excuse to punish them,” Sammi Latif, another resident, said.

He added, “They know their days are numbered so they want to kill as many people as possible before they are defeated. The biggest crime for them today is fleeing toward the Iraqi army. The militants have the order to execute people without trial.”

Iraqi army soldiers, supported by pro-government fighters from the Popular Mobilization Units – commonly known by the Arabic name Hashd al-Sha’abi – and Kurdish Peshmerga forces, launched a joint operation on October 17, 2016 to retake Mosul from Daesh terrorists.

Last week, UN special envoy for Iraq Jan Kubis expressed hope over the crisis-hit Arab country's full liberation from Daesh terrorists in near future, saying the Takfiri group is using civilians as human shields in Mosul to slow down army advances.

Read more:

• Daesh to be routed in Iraqi soon: UN envoy

Daesh abducts 385 Iraqi civilians fleeing Hawija

Meanwhile, Daesh Takfiris have abducted 385 people fleeing from Hawija district, situated about 282 kilometers north of the capital Baghdad.

An unnamed security source told Arabic-language al-Sumaria television network that Daesh militants abducted 260 people near Dhi'bat village as they were moving towards Maktab Khalid area southwest of Kirkuk. Another 125 people were kidnapped near Haml village in the mountainous Hamrin region.

The source noted that the victims were taken to the center of Hawija, and charged with attempts to leave Daesh-held territories and collaboration with security forces.

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