Victims of ISIS attacks demand the formation of popular forces to "take revenge"

Shafaq News / Families of ISIS's attacks victims in the north of Jalawla district, northeast of Diyala, demanded the government authorities to include them in the compensation program, and to form popular forces to take revenge from the terrorist organization.

One of Al-Islah villages most prominent figures, Abu Ahmad Al-Hayali, told Shafaq News agency, "Over three years, we lost 35 martyrs, we had dozens of wounded and disabled people, during the pursuit operations and resistance against ISIS terrorists hiding in the orchards of the northern villages of the sub-district, which have become forbidden areas and traps for farmers."

Al-Hayali called for "the formation of popular forces similar to Al-Hashd Al-Shaabi to end the presence of ISIS terrorists, comb the orchards, and restore life to tens of thousands of dunums including orchards and neglected agricultural lands causing massive losses amounting to tens of billions of dinars."

He stressed the need to include the victims in the villages of Jalawla in the compensation program, noting that military operations are very few, did not achieve their goals nor secure the orchards from over the past years. Additionally, the citizens were allowed to participate in these operations despite their full awareness of ISIS dens' locations.

A former member of the Jalawla Council, Walhan al-Karawi, agrees with Abu Ahmad al-Hayali on the need to form a popular force in North Jalawla to cleanse the orchards from ISIS dens, revive the agricultural sector and save the people from disasters due to neglecting the agricultural lands that represent their only livelihood source.

Al-Karawi added in his interview with Shafaq News agency, "the complex geographic nature of the northern regions of Jalawla requires exceptional security efforts […] residents and farmers must participate in the operations in order to restore the situation to normal."

It is noteworthy that Al-Islah areas have been witnessing security turmoil for more than a year after the infiltration of ISIS terrorists fleeing from the liberated areas and governorates to the orchards.

Jalawla district is located 70 km northeast of Baqubah and is inhabited by Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen. The district fell to ISIS gangs in August 2014 before it was liberated in November of the same year.