The jihadis are reportedly forcing their prisoners to dig bunkers and trenches and are sending boys as young as 12 to fight on the front lines wearing ISIS uniforms. At least 26 of those abducted have been killed for refusing to follow orders, reports
reveal.
reveal.
The abductions come amid fierce fighting for control of Manbij - a key ISIS stronghold in Syria.
Extremists there are being routed from the town center by the largely Kurdish and U.S.-backed Syria Democratic Forces.
IS militants began abducting Kurdish civilians in retaliation the offensive on Manbij three weeks ago, said SDF spokesman Sherfan Darwish.
'Whenever Daesh is defeated, they retaliate against civilians,' Darwish said, using an Arabic acronym for ISIS, adding that there are whole families among those taken.
The abductions have been taking place mostly in areas under IS control, from the western Manbij countryside to the towns of al-Bab and al-Rai.
The reports about the killing of captives could not be independently confirmed and the Islamic State group made no immediate claim over the abductions or the killings.
Many of the civilians are being held in an IS prison in Qabasin and those forced into labor are digging fortifications underneath homes in al-Bab, said Kurdish media activist Rezan Hiddo.
'They (IS) are digging a city underneath the town to protect themselves from air strikes,' Hiddo added.
On Friday, the mostly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces battled IS militants inside Manbij having encircled the stronghold in a weeks-long offensive.
The attacked was backed by U.S.-coalition air strikes which reportedly hit targets in the town.
Source: Daily Mail
No comments:
Post a Comment