ISIS suggests releasing detained Iraqi security elements in exchange for freeing women prisoners

Activists in social media have launched the “Save Dad” campaign in the last two days, demanding the government to take immediate action to release six members of Iraq’s security forces who were kidnapped last week on the road that links Baghdad to Kirkuk.

It seems that the large campaign, which coincided with published pictures of the children of those kidnapped soldiers on social media, has caused embarrassment to the Iraqi government and prompted Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Haider Abadi to make a move after one week of the incident.

A statement issued by the Security Information Center said that Abadi held on Sunday a meeting with the leaders of the security and intelligence services.

The meeting called for taking security measures and Abadi ordered the formation of a special force to secure roads and protect travelers, according to the statement.

A campaign to hunt down terrorist elements was also carried out immediately following the meeting.

“This force was able to arrest elements from terrorist and criminal gangs that are related to the recent kidnapping incident on the road to Kirkuk province recently,” the statement noted.

Abadi has also chaired a similar meeting on Monday with leaders of the security, military and intelligence services.

The statement issued following the meeting did not mention any details in regards to the fate of the six abducted officers, yet it quoted Abadi as saying, “there are quick measures and qualitative operations to eliminate these terrorist cells that are trying to carry out some terrorist acts outside the cities.”

Activists on social media called on ISIS to take them instead of their abducted parents.

“I hope my voice would reach ISIS. I am from Baghdad, and I am not married. I swear I am ready to be replaced by the father of this girl,” wrote activist Haydar Malik on his Facebook page, promising not to inform any security source of the location of the abductees.

In a video posted by ISIS’s Amaq news agency, six men with visible injuries on their faces appear sitting on the floor with two masked gunmen, pointing assault rifles at them, standing behind. ISIS’s black banner hangs in the background.

“I implore the central government of Haider al-Abadi and the Anbar provincial government, we are now with ISIS, and we have three days. If the demand to release Sunni women from prisons is not met, we will all be killed,” said one of the hostages.

Source: Aawsat