Disputes and assassinations have roiled the ranks of the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) in the city of Rawa in Anbar province, a local source said Monday (August 21st).

The infighting comes against the backdrop of recent attacks by the Iraqi army and tribal fighters against militant strongholds in the city's environs, which have caused heavy losses in their ranks.

Rawa, which has been under ISIS control for three years, is currently witnessing "heated disputes and disarray between foreign fighters and their Iraqi peers", mayor Hussein Ali told Diyaruna.

Foreign commanders have executed 12 local fighters over the past few days near the Rawa bridge, he said, adding that "the situation there threatens to escalate the crisis".

The conflict has resulted from the militants’ weak response "in the face of surprise, quality attacks by army and tribal forces on the group's defence lines around Rawa", he said.

These attacks, launched from the desert, were reconnaissance incursions that caused ISIS heavy losses in lives and equipment, he added.

The latest attack was carried out by a tribal force early last week at the Rawa junction, leaving 11 ISIS elements dead and two vehicles and various weapons burned down.

Escaping to al-Qaim, Syria

ISIS's situation is deteriorating as result of its continued losses, according to Ali, who noted that the group's elements are increasingly fleeing from Rawa and Anah to al-Qaim district in western Anbar, and some even to Syria's al-Raqa.

"Only a small number of militants are left, mostly of foreign nationality, who are suicide attackers," he added.

The city also is almost devoid of its own residents, the majority of whom have managed to escape in recent months.

About 20 families remain in the city, Ali said, but they suffer a suffocating siege by the militants.

ISIS has carried out numerous abuses against Rawa’s residents, he added, including execution campaigns of a number of taxi drivers after they were accused of smuggling out families.

On Saturday (August 19th), three civilians were arrested by the group "for unknown reasons", and their fate is still unknown, Ali said.