In an ironic twist of fate, at least three Islamic State (ISIS) militants were killed by a herd of stampeding boars while the militants were setting up an ambush in northern Iraq.
A boar and a pig are very similar animals belonging to the same species. Muslims are known to be averse to pigs since the consumption of pork, or the meat of the pig, is prohibited in Islam.
On Sunday, a band of ISIS fighters had an unusual encounter with a herd of animals they despise the most while they were hiding on the edge of a field about 50 miles southwest of Kirkuk, The Times reported.
Sheikh Anwar al-Assi, a chief of the local Ubaid tribe and supervisor of anti-ISIS forces, told the British news outlet that the ISIS fighters were poised to attack a band of local tribesmen who had fled to nearby mountains when the rampaging boars caught them by surprise.
Aside from killing three ISIS militants, the boars also injured five other jihadis, al-Assi said.
"It is likely their movement disturbed a herd of wild pigs, which inhabit the area as well as the nearby cornfields," he said.
Three days before the boars attacked, the ISIS militants had summarily executed 25 people attempting to flee the ISIS-ruled town of Hawija.
The incident drew sharp and satirical public reaction. USA Today gathered some notable quips from its readers:
"As Morpheus from 'The Matrix' said, 'Fate, it seems, is not without a sense of irony'," says reader Paul Jarosz.
"Let's round up the thousands of wild hogs festering in our Southern states and airlift them to Iraq and Syria. If terrorists are killed by a hog, they won't meet Allah and get their 72 virgins. A win for the pigs — and the virgins," says Larry Walker.
"Ode to the wild boars of Kirkuk: They gave up their lives, fighting and humiliating ISIS. And proving that heroes can come in quite unlikely guises!," says Kimberly Genereux.
"Air drop as many wild boars that have not been fed and unleash them on ISIS strongholds, and watch the pigs clean house and take down these terrorists. Very fitting and cheaper than having American soldiers on the ground and spending taxpayer dollars on militia," says Jeff Gute.
"It was a MOAB! Mother of all boars," says Dan Smith.
