Islamic State burn dead 15, including children, for fleeing Kirkuk

Kirkuk (IraqiNews.com) Islamic State militants have burned to death 15 civilians, including children, for attempting to escape areas under the extremist group’s control, according to a security source.

“Daesh (Islamic State) militants have burned to death 15 civilians belonging to three families from al-Shajarah village in Hawija (55 km southwest Kirkuk),” a security source told Alsumaria News on Saturday. The group accused the victims of “abandoning the land of the caliphate,” the source added. They were submerged with tar and then set to fire before a crowd the source said.

The victims were bound to central Kirkuk and areas in neighboring Salahuddin province, according to the source. They were captured by IS on a road between al-Riyadh and Hamreen mountains area.

The group threatened citizens in the area they would be burned to death similarly if they try to escape.

Since it took over large parts of Iraq in 2014 to establish a so-called “Islamic Caliphate”, Islamic State tortured and brutally executed hundreds of civilians for either violating its extreme religious rules or trying to escape group-held regions upon the start of security operations seeking to retake those areas.

Data reveal that at least 150.000 civilians fled to central Kirkuk since Islamic State took over southwestern areas.