The river is located only three kilometers away from their village of Kapran, Gwer district, 50 kilometers west of Erbil.
It was not the first time that they had gone to the same spot for fishing, Qasim’s family members told Rudaw, citing the victim’s companion, who survived the alleged ISIS ambush. He added that those who ambushed them appeared to be ISIS militants based on their clothing and looks, saying he had counted eight gunmen.
The militants captured, tied up, and blindfolded the two men, and killed Qasim when they saw a photo of him in Iraqi military uniform on his phone.
The friend, who claims he was let go by the militants, is currently being investigated by Erbil’s local security forces (Asayish).
“Even though the case is still under investigation, we suspect the gunmen were ISIS fighters based on their place of staying and equipment.” Masoud Noori, mayor of Gwer district, told Rudaw.
Qasim, 46, is survived by five children. He was from the Kapran village in the Gwer district and was a soldier in the Iraqi army.
Gwer is located in an area disputed between the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). It has been a safe haven for ISIS sleeper cells because of the security gap between Peshmerga and Iraqi forces, as well as the rugged landscape.
ISIS has taken advantage of the situation in the past to move around, harass local residents, and carry out attacks.
Erbil and Baghdad have discussed establishing joint brigades to secure areas between their forces such as around Gwer. Talks stalled because of elections and a year of political wrangling to form a government, but funds for two joint brigades are included in the draft 2023 budget.
