Daesh Militants Execute 56 People by Burning, Shooting in Northern Iraq

56 people, primary young men, were executed by the Daesh terrorist group in the northern Iraqi Kirkuk province, according to local media.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Militants from Islamic State (ISIL or Daesh) radical group executed 52 people by burning them, with the other four having been shot dead in Hawija city in the northern Iraqi Kirkuk province, local media reported on Sunday.

According to the Al Arabiya broadcaster, citing its sources, the victims, primary young men, were executed on Saturday night for encouraging residents of Hawija to escape from the city seized by militants.

Kirkuk province has been at the epicenter of fierce clashes between militants from Daesh, outlawed in Russia and various countries, and joint Iraqi forces since the jihadist group captured vast parts of Iraq in 2014.

According to the UN Refugee Agency, Daesh militants seized some 3,000 people, trying to escape from Hawija, on August 3.