IS turns Christians' houses in Mosul into secret prisons

The Islamic State (IS) is making secret jails out of the houses of the Christians in the city of Mosul, north of Iraq, a source said on Wednesday.

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – The Islamic State (IS) is making secret prisons out of the houses of the Iraqi Christians in the city of Mosul, north of Iraq, a source said on Wednesday.

A local source who requested anonymity told media that IS leaders have ordered to change Christian houses inside the city to secret jails.

“Da’esh insurgents use those jails for those whom they consider enemies,” he said, using the Arabic pejorative term for IS.

The source mentioned that some of the houses that have been changed to secret jails are located in North of Mosul in the neighborhoods of al-Sakr, al-Bakir, al-Akha, al-A’lam, al-Tahrir and al-Zuhur.

“Those who are jailed in those prisons are mostly people that refuse to support Da’esh or have already betrayed them,” the source continued. “Prisoners get tortured savagely using various torture methods.”

He mentioned that many people in the city have witnessed that prisoners were "tortured to death" before IS transferred their bodies to hospitals in Mosul.

Moreover, IS blew up four houses on Tuesday that belonged to Christians, the source added.

In June 2014, jihadists took control of Mosul, the second-largest city in Iraq, and continued to expand by occupying Nineveh, Diyala, Salahaddin and Anbar provinces.

Recently, US Presidential Special Envoy Brett McGurk stated that IS has lost 50 percent of territory in Iraq and 20 percent in Syria since 2014. He noted that IS insurgents have lost the morale of fighting, and the group continues to shrink in both countries.

 

Editing by Ava Homa