ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – ISIS militants attacked a Kakai village Monday night, killing one person when they seized control of a village in the Daquq area, south of Kirkuk.
“Late last night, nearly 40 to 50 ISIS militants seized control of a Kakai village, Ali Saray, killed one person and injured two others,” Sardar Hama, a local, told Rudaw.
“The militants spoke Arabic. They described us as non-believers and the area as a place of Muslims. They vowed they would kill those who won’t pay allegiance to the Islamic State,” he added.
ISIS militants in Kirkuk and Diyala provinces have stepped up their activities – attacking villages and security forces.
On Sunday night, militants beheaded a mother and daughter in Hamrin, Diyala province.
The women were members of the Ghazwan Majid al-Jabouri family and employees of the Iraqi electoral commission, according to Hasan Pirwali, spokesperson of the commission in Diyala.
“Last night, ISIS militants had raided their house and beheaded the mother of Ghazwan and her elder daughter,” he told Rudaw on Monday.
“In addition to killing the mother and her daughter, they had beaten the other two sisters of Ghazwan with iron and severely injured them,” Pirwali added.
The sisters are in critical condition with head injuries at Baquba emergency hospital.
ISIS militants have concentrated in the Hamrin mountains, creating a security threat. Militants have attacked villages, killing and kidnapping residents, and clashing with security forces.
“Large territories in Diyala are currently controlled by ISIS, including areas in Qaratapa, Nada, Naftkhana, Wadi Salab, Sheikh Baba gardens, and Kani Masi. These areas are home to ISIS militants, and there are no forces there to confront them,” Major Ahmad Mustafa, a Peshmerga intelligence officer, had previously told Rudaw.
The area was under control of Peshmerga forces until last October when Iraqi forces took over. There are growing calls for the return of the Kurdish forces or joint cooperation to secure the area.
“I am concerned by the silence and lack of a stance from the Kurdish parties recently. I call on them to meet immediately, protest, and take a stance on the abnormal situation imposed on the area,” said Shakhawan Abdullah, a KDP member of the Iraqi parliament.
According to Peshmerga intelligence reports, 85 percent of the Hamrin Mountains has fallen to ISIS militants.