A provincial security source, requesting anonymity, told Arabic-language al-Sumaria television network on Tuesday evening that ISIS terrorists decapitated 13 people in the Riyadh district of the town of Hawijah, located about 282 kilometers (175 miles) north of the capital, Baghdad.
The executions came over the allegation that the victims had helped local residents flee to other areas in the province or the neighboring Salahuddin Province.
The source added that ISIS is currently in a state of despair and dismay in the wake of heavy blows that the Iraqi army and volunteer forces have been inflicting on it.
This file photo shows Takfiri Daesh terrorists in an undisclosed location in Iraq
Earlier in the day, ISIS Takfiris had abducted 40 residents of Hawijah on the same charges. It was not clear whether those decapitated on Tuesday were from among the abductees.
The developments came only three days after ISIS militants placed six handcuffed men inside a number of truck tires in Hammam al-Alil area, located some 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) south of Mosul, and them set the tires ablaze.
The victims had been accused of espionage and collaboration with Iraqi government forces.
The northern and western parts of Iraq have been plagued by gruesome violence ever since ISIS terrorists mounted an offensive there more than two years ago. The militants have been committing vicious crimes against all ethnic and religious communities in Iraq, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds and Christians.
The Iraqi army and volunteer fighters from the Popular Mobilization Units have been engaged in joint operations to retake militant-held regions.
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