BAGHDAD: Iraqi officials discovered 50 bodies, many of them blindfolded and with their hands bound, in an agricultural area outside a city south of Baghdad on Wednesday.
The bodies were recovered from Shia village of Khamisiyah, about 25 km southeast of the city of Hilla.
At the same time, splits have grown between the government in Baghdad and the Kurdish autonomous region in the north.
In an address on Wednesday, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki accused the Kurdish zone of being a haven for the Sunni extremists and other insurgents. He did not provide any evidence, and the claims are likely to only further strain Baghdad’s ties which the Kurds, whose fighters have been battling the militant advance in the north.
Local security officials said they found 53 blindfolded and handcuffed corpses with gunshots to the head or chest.
The region is close to Shia shrine cities of Karbala and Najaf which the ISIS rebels are trying to infiltrate. The victims are believed to have been killed at least a week ago.
Also on Tuesday, the ISIS killed at least 50 pro-government tribal men and injured several others in a village near the northern city of Beiji.
The developments come as Iraq has been in the throes of a brutal wave of violence since Takfiri militants overran a number of towns in the country’s north.
The latest assaults are evidence to brutal execution of those who apparently refuse to pledge allegiance to the extremist group.
Recently, a gruesome video was released purportedly showing members of the ISIS group brutally killing Shia Muslims in drive-by shootings in the crisis-hit country.
Iraqi Premier Nouri al-Maliki has vowed that the countrys security forces would confront the terrorists.
Reports say the ISILs advance has been slowed down as Iraqi military and volunteer forces have begun engaging militants on several fronts.
Al-Maliki has repeatedly said the US regional allies especially Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey — are supporting the militancy in Iraq.
Al-Maliki also lashed out at the Kurds in his weekly televised statement Wednesday, saying “everything that has been changed on the ground must be returned” a clear reference to the disputed territory that fighters loyal to the Kurdish government, which is based in the city of Irbil, have taken.
He even went a step farther, saying: “We can’t stay silent over Irbil being a headquarters for Daesh, Baath, al-Qaida and the terrorists.” Daesh is the acronym in Arabic for the Islamic State group, often used as a pejorative by its opponents, while the Baath was the party of former dictator Saddam Hussein.
Follow this link to join our WhatsApp group: Join Now
Be Part of Quality Journalism |
Quality journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce and despite all the hardships we still do it. Our reporters and editors are working overtime in Kashmir and beyond to cover what you care about, break big stories, and expose injustices that can change lives. Today more people are reading Kashmir Observer than ever, but only a handful are paying while advertising revenues are falling fast. |
| ACT NOW |
| MONTHLY | Rs 100 |  |
| YEARLY | Rs 1000 | |
| LIFETIME | Rs 10000 | |
