Iraq: ISIL militants in Iraq have called on the residents of the country’s major northern city of Mosul to offer their women to the “Takfiri” militants for sex, agencies reported. In a statement released nearly a week ago, well-armed militants have also threatened Iraqis in the northern city, with consequences if they fail to comply with the order. The idea of offering sex to militants under the pretext of a holy war, referred to in Arabic as “Jihad-ul-Nikka,” first surfaced back in 2013. At the time, a Saudi-based Wahhabi cleric issued a fatwa (religious edict) calling on women to offer themselves to the armed militants fighting against the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad. ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) is an al-Qaeda splinter group that is fighting the government of Syria and Iraq. On June 10, the ISIL militants took control of Mosul, the capital of Nineveh Province, which was followed by the fall of Tikrit, located 140 kilometers (87 miles) northwest of the capital Baghdad. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi people have been forced out of their homes since the attacks. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has vowed that the country’s security forces would confront the foreign-sponsored terrorists, describing the seizure of Mosul as a “conspiracy.” Maliki has also said Saudi Arabia and Qatar are responsible for the security crisis and growing terrorism in his country, denouncing the Al Saud regime as a major supporter of global terrorists. Meanwhile Iraqi military authorities have announced that the nation’s armed forces are gearing up to enter the city of Mosul after reestablishing control over Baiji oil refinery in the strategic Salahuddin Province. Iraq’s Army Spokesman General Qassim Atta stated on Wednesday that preparations were underway to move in against ISIL militants in Mosul after Iraqi Special Forces regained full control over the nation’s largest petroleum refinery complex in Baiji, taking out at least 40 terrorists in the process. Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) attacked the refinery from several directions earlier by firing rockets and starting a fire at the key facility. According to the Iraqi general, one of ISIL leaders in Iraq was among those killed by government forces. General Atta further reiterated that Iraqi armed forces were also in full control of the cities of Tal Afar and Samarra, which also came under attack by foreign-backed ISIL militants. Earlier, Iraqi troops took full control of Saqlawiyah district in Anbar Province after heavy clashes with the Takfiri militants. Nearlyl 250 terrorists were reportedly killed in the clashes. On June 10, the ISIL militants took control of the Nineveh provincial capital Mosul, which was followed by the fall of Tikrit, located 140 kilometers (87 miles) northwest of the capital Baghdad. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi people have been forced out of their homes since the attacks. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has vowed that the country’s security forces would confront the foreign-sponsored terrorists, describing the seizure of Mosul as a “conspiracy”. (Press Tv)
