Al-anwar Newspaper English news in Australia
Islamic State (IS) militants executed 70 members of a Sunni tribe in the western Iraqi province of al-Anbar, the leader of the tribe said on Monday.
The leader of the al-Bu Nimr tribe, Sheikh Naeem al-Gaoud said that members were shot dead in the village of Khanizir on Sunday night.
The tribesmen were killed because they had relatives serving in the Iraqi security forces, according to the leader.
The al-Bu Nimr tribe have been battling jihadists for years.
IS jihadists executed more than 300 members of the tribe in November, according to government officials.
The tribe was one of the major local forces that resisted the progress of jihadists in the Sunni province.
The fighters in al-Anbar have repeatedly complained that the government has not provided them sufficient weapons and backup to fight against IS militants.
Al-Gaoud has warned that his tribe is “at risk of being wiped out” by IS if Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi does not take “serious steps” to regain control of Ramadi.
The tribe, which is believed to include more than half a million people, also helped the US military counter al-Qaeda in Iraq from 2006 to 2007.
