Kidnappers feed off IS insurgency in Iraq’s disputed territories
ZINANA - In a tunnel near the Sarqala oil field, in northeastern Diyala province, three truck drivers were trying to escape.
Kidnappers claiming to be part of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) militant group had abducted them on Feb. 6 near the Khor Mor gas field, 50 kilometers away in northern Salahaddin province, and they were demanding an $80,000 ransom. After two weeks in a makeshift underground prison, one of the victims escaped and alerted security forces, according to a senior Peshmerga official and senior Asayesh official in the area.
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