ISIS militants have reportedly abducted “tens of thousands” of men, women, and children from areas around Mosul and are planning on using them as human shields, according to ChristianToday.com.
"Credible reports suggest that ISIL has been forcing tens of thousands of people from their homes in sub-districts around Mosul and have forcibly relocated numbers of civilians inside the city itself since the operation began on the 17th of October to restore Iraqi government control over Mosul," stated UN human rights spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani in a news briefing, using an alternative name for the terrorist group.
"ISIL's depraved cowardly strategy is to attempt to use the presence of civilian hostages to render certain points, areas or military forces immune from military operations, effectively using tens of thousands of women, men and children as human shields," Shamdasani continued.
She also added that “Many of those who refused to comply were shot on the spot.”
Nearly 8,000 families, of about six people each, were reportedly kidnapped.
An estimated 5,000 ISIS fighters were thought to be in Mosul before the battle to retake the city began. Up to 900 of them have been killed.
Photo courtesy: Thinkstockphotos.com
Publication date: October 28, 2016
