ISIS seizes village near Ramadi after Iraqi troops withdraw

The Islamic State is reported to have captured another village near the capital of the Anbar province during an attack yesterday morning, police and local officials reported.

Hundreds of families fled the village of Albu Ghanem after the terrorists attacked security forces there during the night.

Abu Jassim Albu- Ghanem who fled immediately after the village was occupied by ISIS said the group set up a checkpoint outside the village’s main entrance and raised black flags there.

Abu Jassim said ISIS told him: “We came to liberate you from Safavids and backwardness,” in reference to Shia Muslims.

“We told them we were leaving because the children were terrified and they let us leave,” he said, adding that they saw dead bodies in the streets, some of them were members of the police and others were civilians.

ISIS is advancing towards the northern region of Ramadi since the government announced the start of a new offensive last week to restore control of the Anbar province.

A colonel in the Iraqi army and a policeman said two battalions from the police arrived in Ramadi to strengthen the besieged troops.

Another resident said ISIS announced its victory over the village mosque loudspeaker.

Abu Ammar said his son, a local policeman, was missing and that he had heard that ISIS has a list of members of the Iraqi police force whom they will execute soon.

The Iraqi government lost control of large parts of the province even before ISIS captured the city of Mosul in the north last June.