ISIS releases Kurdish shepherd in Diyala province for $50,000 in ransom

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Islamic State (ISIS) on Friday released a Kurdish shepherd in Kifri town, Diyala province after receiving a $50,000 ransom from his family, the shepherd’s uncle told Rudaw.

Sabah Nuri went missing in Kifri’s Naren village on September 6 and his family later found out that he had been kidnapped by ISIS. 

“We have been waiting for his release and negotiating with ISIS for two months. They initially asked for $100,000 but later agreed to reduce it to $50,000. He was released tonight,” his uncle, Rahim Aziz, told Rudaw’s Hunar Hamid late Friday. 

Rudaw has learnt that ISIS has kidnapped three people in the village in the last three years, including Nuri. One was killed and the other was released in exchange for a $57,500 ransom. 

ISIS controlled swathes of Syrian and Iraqi land in 2014 but it was territorially defeated in both countries by 2019. However, the group still poses a threat to the residents of areas disputed between Erbil and Baghdad due to security.