The extremist militants had captured 170 men in the villages of al-Shajara and Gharib in Iraq’s Kirkuk province on January 2 after two ISIL flags were burned in the area.

According to Iraqi officials, the terrorists brought the hostages to their nearby stronghold in the town of Hawijah and questioned them to find the flag-burners.

Local residents confirm that 162 of the abductees have now returned to their homes, while eight are still in ISIL custody.

The Takfiri group conducted a similar mass kidnapping in September. Back then, they seized 70 people in Kirkuk province for disrespecting the ISIL militants and setting their flags on fire.

The move is seen as an attempt by the terror group to quell resistance in the areas under its control.

In recent weeks, Iraqi troops, backed by volunteer forces, have continued their gains against the Takfiri terrorists operating in the Arab country. This has led to harsher crackdown by the ISIL to quash the increasing resistance among people.

The group has also executed scores of its own commanders for attempting to defect its ranks.

The ISIL terrorist group, with members from several Western countries, including Canada, France, Australia and Germany, controls large swathes of land in Iraq and Syria.