IS imposes curfew in Hawija after flyers described militants as ‘pigs’

Hawija (IraqiNews.com) Curfew has been imposed in the Islamic State-held town of Hawija after the group seized flyers describing its militants as ‘pigs’, a security source from Kirkuk province said.

“The group has been on high alert in Hawija, southwest of Kirkuk, after flyers were found on streets urging the militants to leave the town without destroying it as they did in Mosul, especially that most of the residents fled to protect their families,” the source told AlSumaria News on Sunday. “The militants launched wide-scale campaigns against photocopying centers in Hawija market to know where the flyers were printed.”

“The members imposed curfew at some of Hawija districts to look for the distributors of the flyers,” the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.

The flyers “described the group as thieves and killers who considered everything as allowed and fabricated religion for their interests,” the source said adding that they urged the group to leave or they would be killed by the Iraqi joint troops. The flyers described the militants as ‘human pigs’.

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.

Dozens of residents from Hawija and the regions in its vicinity escape to Kirkuk province on a daily basis. Despite the risky routes to the freed regions, the civilians prefer death to staying under IS control.