4 shepherds kidnapped by ISIS near Daquq district

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Four Arab shepherds were abducted by ISIS militants near the village of Tamur in Kirkuk's Daquq district and brought to an unknown location on Thursday morning.

A security source confirmed to Kurdistan 24 that the four Arab shepherds were abducted and that the security forces are searching for them. So far, their fate is unclear.

Last week, Kurdistan 24 sources claimed that ISIS militants abducted a shepherd in the Dawdiyeh district of Garmiyan and demanded $150,000 for his release.

The Daquq district is inhabited by Kurds, Arabs, and Turkmen.

In retaliation for the Kurdistan Region's 2017 independence referendum, Iraqi forces and Iranian-backed militias of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) pushed the Peshmerga out of contested areas, including Daquq.

ISIS is currently most active in these disputed territories between Baghdad and Erbil, exploiting the security vacuum that emerged from those 2017 events between Iraqi and Peshmerga positions. 

Read More: Peshmerga, Iraqi forces complete 'successful' anti-ISIS operation in disputed Kirkuk

Since November, however, the Peshmerga and the Iraqi military have increased joint operations to clear ISIS remnants from these areas, including Kirkuk, Makhmour, and Garmiyan. 

The US-led coalition has supported these efforts.