Iraq weighs captives' rights against fear of new Islamic State

[TomSea]

Iraq weighs captives' rights against fear of new Islamic State
John Davison

AL-HOL CAMP, Syria (Reuters) - Iraqi farmer Shaker Salih says he feared Islamic State, but feared its defeat even more. His problem is persuading people to believe that he did not support the jihadists.

When Iraqi forces drove Islamic State from his home town in Salahuddin province, north of Baghdad, Salih left with the Sunni Muslim extremist group, known to its detractors as Daesh. He then stayed as long he could in its shrinking, self-declared caliphate.

“We thought militias would kill us for living under Daesh, so we fled,” said Salih, 49, referring to Shi’ite Muslim paramilitaries that helped defeat IS. “That’s why we stayed with Daesh. We were used to them and knew what to do to survive.”

Read more at: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iraq-syria-displaced-insight/iraq-weighs-captives-rights-against-fear-of-new-islamic-state-idUSKCN1ST0GT