Islamic State on alert as unknown individuals erect Iraqi flag in Hawija
Members of the Islamic State. File photo.
A local source told Alsumaria News that the erection of the Iraqi flag is understandably a provocative action for IS militants who had prohibited the possession of the flag among locals.
Earlier on Monday, a security source told Alsumaria News that four IS militants were killed in an armed ambush that targeted their vehicle while passing through the Hawija, Abbasi road
Islamic State militants have occupied Hawija, al-Riyadh, Abbasi and al-Zab, all southwest of Kirkuk, since 2014, when the group emerged to the scene to proclaim a self-styled “Islamic Caliphate”. The group’s extremist rule and abuses against civilians have forced hundreds to flee Hawija since then.
Iraqi government forces, backed by a US-led military coalition and popular militias, are currently carrying out major campaigns to liberate Iraqi cities from the militants, most notably Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city and IS’s formerly-proclaimed “capital”.