As ISIS faces oblivion in terror stronghold Mosul – meet the fighters blitzing the fleeing fanatics by blocking off their escape routes
THE Shiite Hashd al-Shaabi group claims ISIS jihadis have been backed into a corner
ISIS jihadis have been backed into a corner in Mosul and their escape routes have been cut off, paramilitary forces have claimed.
Leaders of the Shiite Hashd al-Shaabi group believe ISIS's days are numbered in the northern Iraqi city.
“All of their escape routes out of Mosul to Syria are covered,” Ammar Ali, spokesman for the Hashd al-Shaabi said.
The Hashd al-Shaabi are sworn enemies of ISIS because they follow a different, Shia, version of Islam.
They have fought bloody pitched battles with the Sunni extremists ever since they took over vast swathes of northern Iraq in 2014.
The paramilitary group said they reclaimed the town of Tall-Abtah in recent weeks and now they are seeking to destroy the last ISIS strongholds.
“We took back the town of Tall-Abtah around a month and a half ago and now we have moved up to this frontline near Tal-Afar,” Ammar said.
“[However] we did not destroy the area like the peshmerga [Kurdish] forces did in Sinjar city.”
RELATED STORIES
ISIS has been desperate to create a corridor out of Mosul for their leadership to flee.
The terror group has launched multiple suicide operations against the Hashd al-Shaabi.
But despite these attacks, the paramilitary group’s lines appear to be holding.
In the months since these Shia fighters joined the battle to liberate Mosul, they claim to have captured more than 200 sq km southwest of the city.
SHIITE MILITIA Hashd al-Shaabi group 'has a history of human rights offences'
Hashd al-Shaabi is a paramilitary group also known as the People’s Mobilisation and National Mobilisation.
It is an Iraqi state-sponsored organisation composed of majority Shiite members.
The group was formed in June 2014 to combat the spread of ISIS fighters in Iraq.
In January this year, Amnesty International released a report that accused Shiite militias of committing war crimes.
The human rights group claimed Hashd al-Shaabi used US weapons provided by the Iraqi government to carry out extrajudicial killings and revenge attacks against civilians.
"International arms suppliers, including the US, European countries, Russia and Iran, must wake up to the fact that all arms transfers to Iraq carry a real risk of ending up in the hands of militia groups with long histories of human rights violations," said Patrick Wilcken, an Amnesty researcher.
Iraqi government officials and a spokesman for the militias denied the report.
But the fighters are not sure when they will finally rid the jihadists from all of Iraq.
They estimate there is around 300 to 400 ISIS fighters left in Tal-Afar.
“Tal-Afar is besieged, [but] we are now waiting on orders from Baghdad if we should enter,” Ammar said.
The fighters are largely hostile to the other Western allies in the country.
“We will and do work with the Iraqi army, but we don’t want anything to do with the Americans or [even] the Kurds,” Ammar said.
“We can liberate areas on our own. We don’t want or need US airstrikes.”
There are fears the primarily Shia Hashd al-Shaabi group could enact bloody revenge against the local population if they continue to push back ISIS forces.
Amnesty International says that in previous campaigns Hashd al-Shaabi has committed serious human rights violations, including war crimes against civilians.
Refugees have spoken about how conditions are particularly desperate for the children and women trying to flee ISIS.
Mustam, now lives in a camp, just south of Tal-Afar, with around 250 Sunni families in makeshift tents.
“We have ten women who are pregnant, but no doctor to treat them,” the 50-year-old farmer said.
“And our children are suffering from Baghdad boils.”
This is a flesh-eating parasite caused by sandflies that is common in northern Iraq.
“The situation is very bad here. We need food, water and medical supplies…but we have not received anything for the past six days,” he added.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368