Daesh Militants Kill 7 Family Members of Police Officer in Northern Iraq

Daesh militants (IS, terrorist group outlawed in Russia) on Friday attacked the house of a police officer, seized him and killed seven members of his family in the northern Iraqi province of Kirkuk, local media reported.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Mohammed Azawi, the police officer, told the Rudaw news agency that about 20 Daesh militants attacked his house in Mahla village some 21 miles of the provincial capital city of Kirkuk, and killed his three sons, three cousins and another relative who was visiting him.

"When I opened the door, they said they are Peshmerga and were here to inspect the place. But the moment they entered, I realized and said to them, ‘You are not Peshmerga, you are Daesh. [IS]’ Then they hit me and handcuffed me," Azawi stated.

The militants were ambushed by the Peshmerga on their way back from the village and the hostage was freed, according to the news agency.

The situation in Iraq remains tense due to the activity of the Daesh terrorist organization. The northern Iraqi city of Mosul has been under the control of Daesh since 2014. The operation to liberate the city was launched in October 2016, and on July 9, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi officially declared the city’s liberation from the terrorists.

On Thursday, the spokesman for Iraqi Kurdistan’s Regional Government told Sputnik that Peshmerga was ready to build on success in Mosul and cooperate with the Iraqi government forces in liberating the areas still controlled by Daesh.