Iraqi forces break ISIS siege of Shiite town: 'We thank God for this victory over terrorists'
Iraqi security officials and Shiite militia broke the Islamic State's (IS) seige of northern Shiite town Amiril, officials announced Sunday.
Army spokesman Lt. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi did not specify the number of casualties suffered on either side, and reported that the conflict was "still ongoing to clear the surrounding villages."
IS, formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham or ISIS, is an extremist Sunni Muslim group that has been raping, kidnapping, and killing civilians across Iraq and Syria in an increasingly deadly campaign. The group targets Christian and Shiite Muslim villages, terrorising and often slaughtering residents.
Fox News reported that instead of fleeing the area when their water was cut off in June or when IS took over the town in mid-July, the Amiril villagers fortified their buildings and homes, and armed themselves. Iraqi soldiers joined the fight on Saturday.
"They are remarkably vulnerable, and ISIS is determined to kill as many of these people as possible," Washington Institute fellow Michael Knights said. "As the Nazis felt about the Jews, so ISIS feels about the Shia Muslims."
Nihad al-Bayati, an Amiril resident, was grateful that the town repelled the militants.
"We thank God for this victory over terrorists," he told the Associated Press. "The people of Amirli are very happy to see that their ordeal is over and that the terrorists are being defeated by Iraqi forces. It is a great day in our life."
U.S. officials have not confirmed that the IS seige in Amiril has been broken.
The terrorists recently demanded $6.6 million and the release of a Pakistani prisoner being held in the United States in exchange for the release of an American woman, whose identity is being withheld.The 26-year-old woman was on a humanitarian mission in Syria in 2013 when she was kidnapped.
Also being held by IS is Steven Sotloff, a journalist who appeared in a video released by IS two weeks ago. The video also showed the execution of photojournalist James Foley, who had been missing for nearly two years.
