A tribe elder in Iraq's western Anbar province has said Islamic State (IS) militants carried out execution-style killings of nearly 300 tribesmen.
Al-Bou Nimr tribe elder Sheikh Naim al-Gaood said on October 31 that 290 bodies were found in mass graves in and around the town of Hit.
He said 500 other people "wanted for execution" are surrounded by IS militants in Al-Bakir neighborhood.
The Sunni Al-Bou Nimr tribe has sided with government forces attempting to recapture territory seized by IS militants.
Meanwhile, Iraq's most senior Shi'ite cleric called on the government to “offer quick support” to Sunni tribes battling IS fighters.
In an address read out by an aide in the city of Kerbala after Friday prayers, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani said: "This will offer the opportunity to the other tribes to join the fighters against [the IS group].”
A tribe elder in Iraq's western Anbar province has said Islamic State (IS) militants carried out execution-style killings of nearly 300 tribesmen.
Al-Bou Nimr tribe elder Sheikh Naim al-Gaood said on October 31 that 290 bodies were found in mass graves in and around the town of Hit.
He said 500 other people "wanted for execution" are surrounded by IS militants in Al-Bakir neighborhood.
The Sunni Al-Bou Nimr tribe has sided with government forces attempting to recapture territory seized by IS militants.
Meanwhile, Iraq's most senior Shi'ite cleric called on the government to “offer quick support” to Sunni tribes battling IS fighters.
In an address read out by an aide in the city of Kerbala after Friday prayers, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani said: "This will offer the opportunity to the other tribes to join the fighters against [the IS group].”
With reporting by Reuters
