Death of freedom in western Iraq: ISIL detains 200 protesters

Special to WorldTribune.com

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
The mayor of a remote Sunni town in western Iraq that is under the control of Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) militants says about 200 residents who were part of a rare protest against the militant group have been detained at an unknown location.

ISIL execution in Rutbah, Iraq in July 2014.
ISIL execution in Rutbah, Iraq in July 2014.

Imad al-Rishawy, the mayor of the town of Rutbah in Anbar Province near the border with Jordan, says residents are gripped by fears that the 200 detainees will be killed by the ISIL fighters.

Rishawy said the trouble in Rutbah began on Aug. 29 when ISIL militants killed a local resident who had killed an ISIL fighter as part of a long-running tribal blood feud.

Hundreds of residents protested later on Aug. 29 against the killing and clashes broke out with the militants who tried to disperse the demonstrators.

A provincial official in Anbar said more than 100 of the demonstrators were tied to lampposts in Rutbah for about 24 hours as a punishment while others were detained and taken away.

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