Daesh terrorists kill 25 citizens in northern Iraq

Members of the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group have reportedly executed more than two dozen civilians in Iraq’s northern province of Kirkuk.

An informed source, requesting not to be named, said on Monday that Daesh members placed 25 local residents of the town of Hawijah, located about 282 kilometers (175 miles) north of the capital, Baghdad, inside a booby-trapped house and then detonated the building, Arabic-language al-Sumaria television reported.

The source added that the Daesh militants had accused the victims of espionage and collaboration with Iraqi security forces.

The development came only a few days after Daesh members executed six people in the militant-held city of Mosul, located some 400 kilometers (250 miles) north of Baghdad, by lowering them in a vat of melting bitumen.

On August 6, Hassan Mahmoud al-Soufi, a commander of pro-government Popular Mobilization units, said that Daesh militants executed 61 people, among them a woman, by firing squad at a militant base on the outskirts of Hawijah.

Soufi said those killed were among the 3,000 civilians whom Daesh Takfiris had ambushed and captured days before as the former tried to flee from the militant-held city.

There are reports that Daesh extremists plan to use the remaining hostages as human shields to stop the advance of government forces gearing up for the liberation of Hawijah.

The northern and western parts of Iraq have been plagued by gruesome violence ever since Daesh terrorists mounted an offensive in June 2014. The militants have been committing vicious crimes against all ethnic and religious communities in Iraq, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds and Christians.

The Iraqi army and fighters from the Popular Mobilization units have been engaged in joint operations to retake militant-held regions.