ISIS attacks village in disputed Kirkuk, kills family member: police

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Islamic State militants attacked a house in the Rafiaa village, in Kirkuk’s Rashad district, on Friday night, killing a young man as a penalty for the family not paying alms to the terror group, police stated.    

Colonel Moammar Ubaydi, Head of the Rashad district police, told local media that the incident occurred at midnight on Friday.

“The militants broke into a house, and based on an excuse that the family had not paid their alms, they dragged the son 50 meters from the house and shot him dead in front of his parents,” Ubaydi said.

According to information from the police department, the militants entered the village on foot with their faces covered. After killing the young man, they stayed there for a while refusing to let his parents collect the body. They eventually left the area.

The deceased’s name was Rashid Taha. He worked as a farmer and laborer to provide for his family.

Ubaydi noted that 80 to 90 percent of security in the Rashad district “is under control.” He said the incidents occur because of the “wide and plain terrain,” which borders the al-Zghaytun valley that “provides cover for the terrorist group’s movement.”

Iraqi security forces have recently conducted several military campaigns to destroy Islamic State hideouts and neutralize the terrorist group’s threat. However, the group continues to launch regular attacks, including bombings, kidnappings, and ambushes against Iraqi and Kurdish forces, and civilians in the area.

Islamic State militants have long exploited remote areas of disputed territories, especially where there is a security vacuum, to plan attacks in surrounding regions.     

The security void in disputed territories between areas protected by Iraqi troops and Kurdish Peshmerga forces sometimes reaches up to 20 kilometers deep. The rugged, barren terrain that is often seen in such areas has been a haven for Islamic State fighters who use it as a base from which to plan and launch attacks in surrounding settlements and towns.  

Officials from Kurdistan, along with civilians in the disputed territories, have often called for a long-term joint security plan between the Erbil and Baghdad to fill the often-deadly security gaps. So far, however, Baghdad has not meaningfully addressed the issue.  

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany