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ISIS kills its own fighters as they flee al-Qaim

By Khalid al-Taie

Iraqi forces enter a building during a military operation to push the 'Islamic State of Iraq and Syria' out of Anah in westernmost Anbar province on September 22nd. [Moadh al-Dulaimi/AFP]

Iraqi forces enter a building during a military operation to push the 'Islamic State of Iraq and Syria' out of Anah in westernmost Anbar province on September 22nd. [Moadh al-Dulaimi/AFP]

The "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) has been executing its own fighters as they try to flee the battlefield in al-Qaim, the group's last remaining stronghold in Iraq, tribal mobilisation fighters tell Diyaruna.

The Iraqi army, backed by local forces, kicked off a military operation to liberate the cities of al-Qaim and Rawa in westernmost Anbar on October 26th.

When the offensive began, ISIS deployed batches of fighters in the Albu Kamal area on the Syrian side of the border, said al-Baghdadi district tribal mobilisation commander Sheikh Qatari al-Samarmad.

Described as "execution squads", these gunmen were tasked with opening fire on ISIS fighters who tried to shirk combat, he said.

'Islamic State of Iraq and Syria' elements engage in battles with Iraqi forces in the Kilo 30 area north of al-Rutba in Anbar province last June. [File]

'Islamic State of Iraq and Syria' elements engage in battles with Iraqi forces in the Kilo 30 area north of al-Rutba in Anbar province last June. [File]

"Over the last three days, these detachments have eliminated 17 prominent leaders who fled the battle of al-Qaim during the [Iraqi] units’ advance," he told Diyaruna on Sunday.

Three were Iraqis, one of whom was known to the local population as Abu Yaseen al-Hardani, ISIS leader in the town of al-Rummana, while others were foreign nationals, al-Samarmad said.

"There are many cases of ISIS militants escaping from the battlefield to the desert and to Syrian territory," he said.

Fragmented and demoralised

ISIS fighters are fragmented and demoralised as Iraqi forces close in on them and coalition airstrikes target their positions, al-Samarmad said.

"There are major rifts and differences among the terrorists," he said, which have eroded the group's morale and contributed to the desertion of its fighters.

Before the al-Qaim offensive began, the Iraqi air force dropped thousands of leaflets warning ISIS against the consequences of confronting the Iraqi forces.

Calls also were sounded from loudspeakers calling on the militants to either surrender or die.

Iraqi forces are advancing from several fronts and have taken control of many districts, advancing deep into the desert, al-Samarmad said.

They have been pursuing ISIS fighters with the co-operation of local residents, who have been providing them with intelligence information, he added.

"Information received from local residents living near the city of Albu Kamal confirms that ISIS elements have been executed by the group's members," said Nazim al-Jughaifi, a commander with the Haditha tribal fighters.

ISIS accused them of attempting to flee the battlefield, he told Diyaruna.

'The end is closer than ever'

"Some displaced residents have spoken of sharp differences among ISIS fighters," al-Jughaifi said, as reports emerge of ISIS elements engaging in open rebellion against their leaders in western Anbar.

Some ISIS fighters in al-Qaim have disguised themselves as women to avoid being targeted by army and coalition warplanes, he said, adding that "this is evidence of their sense of defeat".

"ISIS is looking for a lifeline as its fighters, who had been fighting around al-Qaim, have retreated into the city and are trying to hole up in homes and among the locals," said Anbar provincial council member Karim al-Karbouli.

Large numbers of the group's fighters have fled towards Syria, while some have headed for the desert, he told Diyaruna.

"The group is taking its last breaths, and these recent executions in its ranks indicate that the end is closer than ever," al-Karbouli said.

"Our forces have liberated many cities in the western part of Anbar," he added.

"ISIS is gradually losing its last foothold."

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By God, you're heroes!

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