Press TV - Iraq's prime minister on Thursday orderedthe immediate execution of all convicted Daesh terrorists on death row a day after remnants of the Takfiri terrorist group killed eight captives near capital Baghdad.
Haider al-Abadi ordered "the immediate punishment of terrorists condemned to death whose sentences have passed the decisive stage," his office announced in a statement,referring to convicts whose appeals have been exhausted.
"Our security and military forces will take forceful revenge against these terrorist cells," the premier was quoted by media as telling senior military officials and ministers on Thursday. "We promise that we will kill or arrest those who committed this crime," he added.
Iraq has reportedly arrested more than 300 people, including around 100 foreign women, and handed down life terms to hundreds of others for Daesh membership.
According to various media reports, most of the female convicts are Turkish or hail from ex-Soviet republics. Two men, one Russian and another Belgian, have also received death sentences for joining Daesh.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="555"]
An Iraqi woman holds up a portrait of a missing relative, who was held captive by Daesh terrorists, during a demonstration in the eastern part of the northern city of Mosul, April 13, 2018. (Photo by AFP)[/caption]Iraqi security forces had discovered the bodies of the eight victims, who had been kidnapped by Daesh's remnants during the previous weekon the highway linking Baghdad to the north on Wednesday.
The corpseswere decomposing and had been strapped with explosive vests, AFP quoted the Iraqi army as saying in a report on the development.
Daesh had released a video purportedly showing six of the abductees identifying themselves as either members of the police or the Shia-majority Hashd al-Sha'abi defense forces. It had said it would execute them unless the government released the Daeshi women.
The group was defeated in Iraq late last year in decisive operations by the government and its allies, most notably the Hashd. An umbrella group of militia groups, Hashd has since been integrated into Iraq's Armed Forces due to its contribution to Daesh's defeat.
Daesh has been staging only sporadic operations in Iraq since then.
