Kurdish shepherd abducted by ISIS in Garmiyan: Local Security

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A Kurdish shepherd in the Kurdistan Region’s Garmiyan area is suspected to have been kidnapped by ISIS, regional security forces announced late on Monday.

Sarwat Rasheed was abducted in the village of Duraji, in the Dawooda area in Garmiyan, a source from the Asayish – the Kurdish local security agency – told Kurdistan 24.

The whereabouts of the abductee remain unknown, the source added.

In early April, Farhan Yassin, a different Kurdish shepherd, was kidnapped in the same area. Local security forces have cautioned against ISIS increased movement in this part of the region.

Yassin was eventually released by the extremist group after 20 days in captivity when his family paid $25,000 in ransom money. The group initially asked for $150,000.

In the southern district of Daquq in the Kirkuk province, the terror group kidnapped four Arab shepherds in Early April. Their fates are still unknown.

Despite the 2017 announcement that ISIS had been territorially defeated in Iraq, the group still launches low-level insurgencies against local people and security forces in the northern and eastern parts of the country.

Iraqi fighter jets regularly target hideouts and dens in the remote areas, where the remnants of the group are still believed to be operational.

The military and air force have recently announced the second phase of Operation Solid Will against the group in the country’s western desert region.

Additional reporting by Harem Jaff