Six families in Kirkuk flee ISIS atrocity, take shelter near Kurdish forces

Six families from a village in Kirkuk have fled ISIS atrocity and taken shelter near Kurdish forces.

While sporadic fighting is taking place between ISIS and Kurdish forces at the borderline of South Kurdistan's Kirkuk city over the past one week, six families from Hegegat village of Hawice town have fled home last night due to the atrocity of savage ISIS gangs.

Speaking on behalf of the families with some 35 members, Hegagat village head Abdullah Xelaf Mehdi said the followings; “ISIS has poisoned and disarrayed the lives of people through strict rules. They are getting our children, properties and money, bombing our houses, putting pressure for local recruitment in their ranks, and punishing or killing those who do not fulfill their orders.”

Mehdi said they have left everything behind and just fled, saying; "ISIS members are burning down our houses in order to make us leave home. They later place trapped mines everywhere to detonate once peshmerga or guerrilla forces arrive there. We were deprived of water and food under ISIS atrocity. We fled because we had no choice left. We Arabs have lived together with Kurds throughout the history. We have no single problem with Kurds. We just want to return home soon. The persecution of ISIS has forced us to leave and take shelter in tents. We fortunately didn't come across any ISIS members on our way to here. If we had met any, they would have killed us for sure. We just want peace."

Abdullah Xelaf Mehdi added that ISIS fired no single bullet while seizing control of Hewice town.

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