IS allows civilians to escape by taking $250 from each

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – The financial condition of the Islamic State (IS) has gotten worse because the group now smuggles civilians to gain money, said a Peshmerga Commander on Wednesday.

As the Kurdish Peshmerga and Iraqi security forces prepare to launch a military operation against IS in Hawija city, western Kirkuk Province of the Kurdistan Region, more civilians flee from the jihadist group to Kurdish front lines.

“IS has failed to control its fighters, and they face a big security gap,” Hassan Kamaran, a Peshmerga Commander told Kurdistan24. “IS seeks more finance to escape to Western countries.”

Kamaran noted the group now uses “smuggling” with the tribal leaders in their area to take money from civilians and allow them to leave Hawija, stating many civilians have complained about the case.

“We escaped from Hawija after each of us paid IQD 300,000 (US $250) to some people whom [IS] had an agreement with,” said a survivor to Kurdistan24.

He mentioned people are extremely exhausted, sick, and hungry as well as growing impatient to flee from IS.

Another woman who escaped from Hawija to a Peshmerga front line in western Kirkuk stated IS has no sympathy for anyone.

“Nobody likes IS in Hawija…They do whatever they want to people. Who can be patient with all the crimes?” She pleaded.

She mentioned when they escaped with other people, an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blew up on a family, eventually killing all of them.

Kirkuk is home to over half a million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who fled from different parts of Iraq due to the threat of IS attacks.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany
(Additional reporting by Hemin Dallo)