Iraq News
Security

Al-Hawija residents battle ISIL with kitchen knives

By Khalid al-Taie

Members of al-Obaid tribe train to fight the 'Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant' and safeguard their areas from future attacks. [Photo courtesy of Sheikh Wasfi al-Asi]

Members of al-Obaid tribe train to fight the 'Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant' and safeguard their areas from future attacks. [Photo courtesy of Sheikh Wasfi al-Asi]

Residents of al-Hawija in Iraq's Kirkuk province have been defending themselves against "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL) abuses with kitchen knives and sharp utensils.

Since ISIL seized the city in 2014 and forced them to hand over their weapons, residents have been arming themselves with common kitchen knives, al-Obaid tribal leader Sheikh Anwar al-Assi told Diyaruna.

According to local sources, he said, "no less than 12 ISIL members have been killed by knife wounds or by other sharp objects" since the beginning of February.

This can be attributed to the large number of barbaric crimes the group has committed against the people of al-Hawija, he added.

Since October 17th, when the operation to liberate Ninawa from ISIL began, the group has killed 350 local residents, including entire families, al-Assi said.

"Most of the victims were locals who failed to escape the city," he said. "ISIL chased them into the deserts and valleys, and after they were captured, conducted mass shootings and killed them."

A cry for help

Al-Assi called on the Iraqi forces to swiftly liberate his city and "put an end to the devastating violations that the trapped locals are subjected to on a daily basis at the hands of ISIL".

He expressed concern that "al-Hawija has now become a safe haven for ISIL fighters fleeing the Mosul battles", noting that the group is trying to "fortify its positions in the city so as to use them as a launching pad for its terrorist operations against safe and liberated cities".

The recent spate of attacks was triggered by ISIL's massacres of innocent people "as well as anger at what the terrorists are leveling against civilians", said al-Hawija tribal mobilisation field commander Saleh Razouqi.

"Locals have been living under unparalleled horror for two years," he told Diyaruna, noting that the group's violations have become more barbaric in recent months.

"There has been a campaign of mass murder against hundreds of civilians suspected of collaborating with the security forces or escaping from [ISIL's] tight grip," he said.

People have become impatient, he said, and common kitchen knives were the only weapon they had with which to defend themselves.

Tribal forces ready

Al-Hawija tribal mobilisation forces today comprise around 2,000 volunteers who are trained and ready to provide military support whenever the government decides to start the liberation operation, Razouqi said.

ISIL has been tightening its grip on al-Hawija, he said, estimating that its fighters number in the hundreds and include fighters who escaped from Mosul, Anbar and Diyala.

ISIL has been oppressing unarmed civilians in al-Hawija on a large scale, Deputy Mayor of Kirkuk Rakan al-Jubury told Diyaruna.

Intimidation and violence have become the group's modus operandi as it seeks to maintain its control over the city of 300,000 people, he said.

"Over the past two years, this group has killed and kidnapped no less than 3,000 people from al-Hawija and the surrounding areas," he said. "Their crimes will not stop unless they are defeated and the city is retaken."

Kirkuk's local government has repeatedly stressed the importance of moving quickly to mobilise militarily so as to save the local population from ISIL, he said, adding that "we hope the liberation operation will start very soon".

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