ISIL Terrorists Escaping Frontlines after Filing Fake Sick Notes

“The ISIL militants in al-Sharqat region, Northern Salahuddin, file sick notices to convince their commanders that they are suffering incurable diseases, to remain outside the frontlines of war against the Iraqi security and popular forces,” Jabbar al-Ma’mouri, the commander of Hashd al-Sha’abi (popular forces), said on Thursday.

He added that the trick was used after the ISIL sustained heavy losses in Salahuddin that has significantly lowered the morale of the ISIL members and their trust in their commanders.

Informed Iraqi sources disclosed last month that ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has pardoned a large number of terrorists jailed for fleeing the war zone in the city of al-Sharqat and sent them to the battlefields to make up for the shortage of militants.

“Al-Baghdadi has ordered tens of ISIL terrorists who had been arrested for disobedience and fleeing the war to be pardoned and sent to war with the Iraqi army,” the Arabic-language media quoted an unnamed provincial source in Salahuddin province as saying.

The source reiterated that the ISIL is facing acute shortage of militants as it has lost a large number of them in tough battles with the government forces in different areas, including Hamreen.

In a relevant development earlier in August, in formed sources disclosed that a group of senior ISIL commanders voiced their allegiance to Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawaheri and staged a coup against Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in the Southwestern parts of Kirkuk province.

“This move by the ISIL commanders in Kirkuk province will be a heavy blow to the ISIL,” the Arabic-language media quoted an unnamed military sources as saying.

The source noted that the coup will paly an important role in widening the rift among the ISIL commanders in other Iraqi province, including Nineveh.