More than 100 Iraqi men, including nine boys, have been kidnapped by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) fighters near Tikrit, an influential sheikh says.
Sheikh Anwar Assi al-Obeidi told Al Jazeera on Wednesday that 118 men and nine boys were originally captured three days ago from Rubaidha village, east of Tikrit, but that 21 men have since been released.
The boys, aged nine and 10, are still being held along with the remaining men at an unknown location, Sheikh Anwar said.
He said that most of those captured have relatives fighting against ISIL and that 600 members of the al-Obeid tribe, where he is the paramount sheikh, have been killed by ISIL fighters since June.
“ISIL have taken our men in retaliation for their support to the security forces and being part of the Sunni tribes that oppose ISIL’s ideology,” the sheik said.
“This is an attempt by ISIL to mount pressure on their relatives and family members whom have took up arms against ISIL.”
He said news of the kidnapping had not been reported earlier because phone services had been cut off in the area.
The news came a day after ISIL fighters reportedly captured at least 70 Assyrian Christians in Hassakeh province in northeast Syria.
A new UN report released this week documented widespread human rights violations committed by ISIL in Iraq between September and December last year.
“Members of Iraq’s diverse ethnic and religious communities, including Turkmen, Shabaks, Christians, Yezidi, Sabaeans, Kaka’e, Faili Kurds, Arab Shia, and others have been intentionally and systematically targeted by ISIL and associated armed groups and subjected to gross human rights abuses,” the report said.
Meanwhile on Wednesday, Iraqi security forces evacuated 300 families from the town of al-Baghdadi.
Recent Posts
Another Bangladeshi blogger hacked to death
A masked gang wielding machetes has hacked a blogger to death in northeastern Bangladesh in the t[...]
May 12, 2015Four suspects in the Lekki bank robbery apprehended by the police
Four suspects involved in the deadly Lekki Phase bank robbery in March which resulted in the deat[...]
May 12, 2015Remembering Bob Marley, the King of Reggae
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley OM (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican reggae singer, songwr[...]
May 12, 2015Japanese porn industry hit by shortage of men. 70 men to 10,000 women
Japanese $20billion porn industry is under threat as their men have refused to participate. Accor[...]
May 11, 2015First son of Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chukwuma dies at 75
The first son of first Nigerian Head of State, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Bamidele Azikiwe has died at[...]
May 11, 2015Family and church members of Pastor held by the NDLEA for drug trafficking disappear
The family and church members of the 43-year-old pastor, who was arrested by operatives of the [...]
May 11, 2015
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Post a Comment
Click to see the code!
To insert emoticon you must added at least one space before the code.