New Delhi: Indians who managed to escape from Iraq brought with them a horrific tale of Iraqi militants brutality.
One of such lucky Indian who managed to flee Iraq revealed that the ISIS militants have started playing a deadly game of life and death with migrant workers, including Indians in Iraq.
Workers are randomly asked to give the meaning of Arabic words. The punishment for wrong answer is being made live target for militants' shooting practice. The other is being forced into performing humiliating tasks.
A youth from Nawanshahar district in Punjab was pulled out of a bus near Dujail by the militants and asked to guess an Arabic word. When he failed, he was shot at. Although he survived, he had to be treated for bullet wounds.
The militants came across the workers while they were advancing towards Baghdad after capturing Mosul. They were later pushed back by government forces.
Dujail is one of the four cities in Salahuddin province north of Baghdad, which the militants have been unable to capture although there has been fighting there.
Besides shooting, the punishment included bathing the militants and washing their clothes and footwear.
The militants also asked intimidating questions about their beliefs at gunpoint.
"They checked our breath to know if we were sober," said a youth. The militants raided their temporary shelters to check for beer cans and whisky bottles.
An Indian worker said that one militant group forced them to fetch water from several km away in the blistering heat for the cans that we had in their vehicles.
The Indian workers add that they are living at construction sites away from the city. They have surrounded themselves with construction material and started switching off their lights at sunset to avoid being traced.
Most Indian workers are living in container homes, 10 feet by 10 feet. Each container can only accommodate four people.
"We made a mistake coming here and would like to return as soon as possible," said one worker.
