Seven shepherds and farmers have been found murdered after "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) elements kidnapped dozens of people in the desert region of central Iraq, a local official said Tuesday (June 19th).
In a renewed threat to the region, ISIS attacked several remote villages and seized 30 locals from their homes, Ali al-Nawaf, a municipal council chief, told AFP.
"The bodies of seven of them have been found and security forces are searching for the others," he said.
The victims, in pictures posted on social media, were discovered with their hands tied behind their backs and eyes bound with red-and-white keffiyeh headscarves.
"This area used to be quite well-populated but it has emptied because it has become very dangerous for residents, who live off agriculture or as shepherds," said Nawaf.
The Shammar tribe to which the local residents belong was targeted by ISIS for having sided with the government in its battle with the extremists, who were expelled from their last urban strongholds last year.
