ISIS kidnaps 17 civilians in Kirkuk for fleeing the so-called Caliphate
Representational photo
(IraqiNews.com) Kirkuk – ISIS militants kidnapped 17 civilians on Saturday for attempting to flee areas controlled by the terrorist organization southwest the province of Kirkuk, Al-Sumaria News reported.
The news website mentioned that militants belong to ISIS kidnapped the civilians reside in Hawija district, 55 kilometers southwest the province of Kirkuk and north of Baghdad, on charge of fleeing the so-called Caliphate.
The kidnapping took place after ISIS militants, lying in ambush, waited for the civilians to flee the area under the control of the terrorist group.
Hawija district has a population of around 450 thousand, about 98 percent of them Sunni Arabs and the rest is mostly Sunni Turkmens.
Al-Sumaria News explained that the exact location of the kidnapping was in area between Riyadh area located 35 kilometers southwest of Kirkuk and confrontation lines of Peshmerga forces.
Hawija district and surrounding areas of Rashad, Riyadh, Abbasi and Zab have been in the grip of the extremist group since June 2014.