Abbas is a resident of Qayyarah. In an interview with Kurdistan24, he stated that ISIS amputated his hand in public after he was arrested for stealing the "jihadists' weapons".

Abbas's hand was amputated by the Islamic State (ISIS) in the town of Qayyarah after he was charged with theft.

He says when ISIS came to Mosul, we were oppressed and hungry. So I started stealing.

At nights, I'd hid ISIS weapons. Once, they saw me and arrested me.

He says, after 26 days of investigation, IS decided to amputate his hand in the center of Qayyarah.

Some ISIS members investigated me for four days. They tortured me. They took me to jail.

They sentenced me in their court. I didn't see the sun for 26 days. Later, they took me to the Bazaar of Qayyarah.

They gathered people and amputated one of my hands in front of people. They told me that the punishment will wash away my sins.

My father is dead. My family was unaware of the charges. After they amputated my hand, they took me to a hospital to treat the injury and then took me home.

Thanks God that we have been rescued from them and their tyranny.

We hope our life condition will be better and life goes back to what it was, (before ISIS)

I don't know the person who amputated my hand, but I know that he was an Arab man from our town.
They [ISIS] had no foreigners with them. They were all locals from this area.

When Abbas's hand was amputated, many residents of Qayyarah were present.

Abbas's friend says that IS gathered them and told them that they are implementing Sharia law.
Then they amputated Abbas's hand.

They [IS] gathered us and brought Abbas blindfolded. They said they will amputate his hand. Because Abbas was accused of stealing weapons.

IS punished who they doomed "criminal" in public

Most of those who were punished were accused of spying for Zionism, they meant Kurds.

In addition to punishing those who violated Sharia law, IS also punished Iraqi army members and executed some of them.

Zarqan was also one of the victims that IS often lashed. Later, he was freed by IQD 600,000 (USD $518).

He says there were people freed by $2,000.

When IS came, they jailed me in Qayyarah and Shirqat [South Mosul].

They were merciless executioners and torturers.

They taxed shop keepers, claiming they will give money to other people.But that was a lie.

If you escaped the town, they would confiscate your house and declare it as Caliphate's property.
People had a difficult life. There was no gas.

The price of a gas cylinder reached to IQD 50,000 [$43].The price of a small sugar bag reached IQD 100,000.

Now, Abbas is free from ISIS.But his town is largely damaged.The only place he spends time is on the Tigris River.

Spending his day swimming in the river.

Abbas noted that after the group took control of the town in June 2014, people of Qayyarah were oppressed and hungry.

On August 25, Iraqi security forces liberated the town.ISIS detonated some of the oil wells of Qayyarah before abandoning the area.

Oil continues to flow to some of the neighborhoods of the town and fire erupted from the oil has burnt over 60 houses in the region.

12