3,000 civilians in Iraq’s Kirkuk held by Daesh: UN

By Batul Euruk

GENEVA (AA) - The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Friday claimed that the Daesh terrorist group had abducted some 3,000 people in Iraq’s northern Kirkuk province.

In a statement, the organization asserted that local residents of the area had been captured while attempting to flee Kirkuk’s Daesh-held Hawija district.

The UNHCR went on to claim that the group had probably killed at least 12 people who had tried to escape from captivity.

Ever since Daesh overran large swathes of Iraq and Syria two years ago, an international U.S.-led coalition has been intermittently striking Daesh positions in both countries.

The coalition has also provided training and advice to local anti-Daesh forces on the ground in both Iraq and Syria.

Iraq has suffered a devastating security vacuum since mid-2014, when Daesh captured Mosul -- the country’s second largest city -- and overran large swathes of territory in the northern and western parts of the country.

While the Iraqi army -- with the help of pro-government militias -- has recently retaken several key areas from Daesh, the group still remains in control of several parts of the country.