IHCHR: Islamic State holding 10.000 individuals in Anbar

The Iraq’s Human Rights Organism announced that the Islamic State militants are holding 10.000 civilians at Anbar’s western town of Rawa in Iraq. The Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights underlined its “concern for the fate of innocents besieged inside Rawa” and according to the detecting sources at the commission’s offices in Anbar, “Daesh (Islamic State terrorists) are still holding nearly 2500 families, about 10.000 individuals, to use them as human shields and hamper the advance of Iraqi forces”, as he said. IS members have prevented civilians from reaching Iraqi security forces’ safe routes for their evacuation. The Commission also urged to accelerate operations to liberate the town and provide humanitarian aids and needs from local and world organizations. Since 2014 the extremist group have occupied one third of Iraq, including Qaim and Rawa towns, to proclaim a self-styled Islamic “Caliphate”. Late October, operations were launched to liberate these two towns. Iraqi forces have managed, so far, to retake Mosul, Tal Afar’s town, Kirkuk’s town of Hawija and Anbar’s Annah and Qaim. Only Rawa is still in the militants’ grip.