Islamic State militants relatives in Iraq pay in dollars to get their corpses
Iraqi firefighters look for bodies buried under the rubble, of civilians who were killed after an air strike against Islamic State triggered a massive explosion in Mosul. REUTERS/Stringer
Mosul (IraqiNews.com) Handing over the dead bodies of Islamic State militants to their families has turned into a bonanza for some relief workers and volunteers in Iraq, a security source was quoted saying.
Speaking to Iraqi Alghad Press website, the source said “some teams and volunteers working on extracting dead bodies from the Old City in Mosul have been confirmed to have sold Islamic State militants’ corpses for between USD2000 and USD5000”.
According to the source, those sell Daesh fighters corpses to their relatives”, adding that “security apparatuses are following that file besides antiquities heists at the Old City”.
Earlier on Thursday, another source within the local government in Nineveh province told the website that some bodies linked to government officials have plundered churches, ancient sites and money belonging to the militant group under the veneer of corpses recovering.
Mosul’s Old City was the place from where Islamic State militants declared in 2014 the establishment of an Islamic “caliphate” rule in Iraq and neighboring Syria. Iraqi forces declared the recapture of territories under the militants’ control late 2017.
Local officials say there are still thousands of missing corpses inside the city.