IS fighters slaughter families as they flee Fallujah
Print Edition
FIGHTERS from the Islamic State group killed at least 18 members of two families as they attempted to flee the besieged jihadist bastion of Fallujah, relatives said yesterday.
IS has been using civilians as human shields to defend its stronghold since Iraqi forces launched a vast offensive on May 22-23, on multiple occasions shooting those who tried to escape.
Civilians who reached the safety of displacement camps south of the city and several aid organizations have reported cases of residents being shot dead, mostly as they tried to cross the Euphrates River to reach Iraqi government forces.
In the worst known case so far, IS fighters killed at least 18 members of two families on Friday as they attempted to flee, southeast of the city, relatives and a security officer told AFP by phone.
“A number of residents were trying to flee and as they neared the Al-Salam intersection, Daesh [IS] opened fire on them, killing 18 and wounding dozens,” a senior officer at the Joint Operations Command told AFP.
The officer, speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to talk to the press, said the army was able to rescue some of the wounded.
Relatives said the initial group that tried to sneak out of IS-controlled areas on Friday included around 100 individuals, including a majority of women and children.
The group were all from the same two families — Albu Hatem and Albu Saleh — and had made a previous failed attempt to leave days earlier.
“When they got near the intersection, which is the meeting point with the Iraqi forces, two gunmen on motorbikes arrived and sprayed them with gunfire,” said Ahmed al-Ghneim, a relative.
Two of the survivors, relatives from the Albu Saleh family, are staying at his home in Amriyat al-Fallujah, south of Fallujah.
“Some of the residents jumped into the canal, some fled to a nearby house. When they entered it, it blew up on them because it was booby-trapped,” he said.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
