GENEVA // ISIL terrorists may have captured as many as 3,000 Iraqis who fled their villages on Thursday, murdering 12 of them, the UN says.
A report from the United Nations refugee agency, the UNHCR, followed a statement on Thursday from the Iraqi Observatory for Human rights, which said about 1,900 civilians were taken by 100 to 120 ISILgunmen and used as human shields against attacks by Iraqi Security Forces. Tens of civilians were murdered, six of them by burning.
“UNHCR has received reports that ISIL captured on 4 August up to 3,000 IDPs (internally displaced people) from villages in Hawiga District in Kirkuk governorate trying to flee to Kirkuk city. Reportedly, 12 of the IDPs have been killed in captivity,” the UNHCR report said.
Hundreds of civilians have over the past few days managed to flee the area, which lies west of the Kurdish-controlled city of Kirkuk and about 220 kilometres north of Baghdad.
Hawijah and its surroundings are one of the last major areas east of the Tigris still controlled by ISIL and possibly the next target of the forces battling the fanatics in Iraq.
A brigadier-general with the Kurdish peshmerga forces said, “Our forces received 600 people yesterday and offered them assistance. We heard from them that Daesh (ISIL) is holding hundreds of families hostage and has executed young men for escaping from the land of jihad (holy war) to the land of the infidels.”
A police colonel also said that several people had been shot dead by ISIL fighters as they attempted to flee the area recently.
A local tribal leader, Sheikh Anwar Al Assi, urged Iraqi forces to step up operations aimed at retaking Hawijah and rescue trapped civilians. Kurdish and federal forces have held positions around Hawijah for months, imposing a loose siege on the city but stopping short of launching a fully-fledged assault to retake it. Al Assi estimated the number of people still living under ISIL rule in the Hawijah area at 100,000.
“We are facing the risk of a massacre and the government has to move quickly,” he said.
After retaking much of the vast western province of Anbar ifrom ISIL n recent months, including the city of Fallujah in June, Iraqi forces are training their sights on remaining extremist strongholds in the north. The ultimate target is Mosul, the country’s second city and the de facto Iraqi capital of the militant organisation’s self-proclaimed caliphate. Despite losing its grip on some towns, ISIL still controls Mosul.
The UNHCR has begun building a site north-east of Mosul for 6,000 people and is preparing another north-west of the city for 15,000, a fraction of those expected to require shelter. Last month, the UN appealed for US$284 million to prepare aid for an assault on Mosul, as well as up to US$1.8 billion to deal with the aftermath. It has so far received nothing in response, according to the UN financial tracking service.
There is no doubt that the aid is desperately needed. Tens of thousands who fled from the city of Fallujah have still not returned since its recapture. Their fears are well-founded. Three volunteers helping to clear Fallujah of rubble and explosives died while clearing a house on August 1. The UNHCR said that although local authorities have suggested returns to Fallujah could begin in September, the ministry of migration and displacement has stated that it may take another three months before conditions are conducive for large scale returns.
The war against ISIL in Iraq has displaced 3.4 million so far.
* Reuters
The specs
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Five expert hiking tips
- Always check the weather forecast before setting off
- Make sure you have plenty of water
- Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
- Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
- Take your litter home with you
Company%20Profile
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Feeding the thousands for iftar
Six industrial scale vats of 500litres each are used to cook the kanji or broth
Each vat contains kanji or porridge to feed 1,000 people
The rice porridge is poured into a 500ml plastic box
350 plastic tubs are placed in one container trolley
Each aluminium container trolley weighing 300kg is unloaded by a small crane fitted on a truck
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Tips for taking the metro
- set out well ahead of time
- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines
- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on
- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
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WHY%20AAYAN%20IS%20'PERFECT%20EXAMPLE'
%3Cp%3EDavid%20White%20might%20be%20new%20to%20the%20country%2C%20but%20he%20has%20clearly%20already%20built%20up%20an%20affinity%20with%20the%20place.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EAfter%20the%20UAE%20shocked%20Pakistan%20in%20the%20semi-final%20of%20the%20Under%2019%20Asia%20Cup%20last%20month%2C%20White%20was%20hugged%20on%20the%20field%20by%20Aayan%20Khan%2C%20the%20team%E2%80%99s%20captain.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EWhite%20suggests%20that%20was%20more%20a%20sign%20of%20Aayan%E2%80%99s%20amiability%20than%20anything%20else.%20But%20he%20believes%20the%20young%20all-rounder%2C%20who%20was%20part%20of%20the%20winning%20Gulf%20Giants%20team%20last%20year%2C%20is%20just%20the%20sort%20of%20player%20the%20country%20should%20be%20seeking%20to%20produce%20via%20the%20ILT20.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CHe%20is%20a%20delightful%20young%20man%2C%E2%80%9D%20White%20said.%20%E2%80%9CHe%20played%20in%20the%20competition%20last%20year%20at%2017%2C%20and%20look%20at%20his%20development%20from%20there%20till%20now%2C%20and%20where%20he%20is%20representing%20the%20UAE.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CHe%20was%20influential%20in%20the%20U19%20team%20which%20beat%20Pakistan.%20He%20is%20the%20perfect%20example%20of%20what%20we%20are%20all%20trying%20to%20achieve%20here.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CIt%20is%20about%20the%20development%20of%20players%20who%20are%20going%20to%20represent%20the%20UAE%20and%20go%20on%20to%20help%20make%20UAE%20a%20force%20in%20world%20cricket.%E2%80%9D%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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SPECS
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