Isis displace three million in Iraq

More than three million people have been displaced by Isis's march across Iraq, with the group capturing key towns in the country's northern and western regions, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

The migration body revealed that 3.09 million people have been displaced by the threat posed by the terror group in 18 Iraqi provinces between the beginning of 2014 and 4 June this year.

The agency revealed that the most displaced Iraqis emanated from Anbar, the province where Isis captured the capital, Ramadi, last month after sleeper cells and double agents helped to turn the tide against the Iraqi security forces.

It said that more than 275,000 people left the province in the space of less than three months, between April and mid-June, with 45% fleeing to the capital, Baghdad. More than two and half million of the total displaced within Iraq came from Anbar, Nineveh and Salahuddin.

The newly-released figures come as Isis spokesman Abu Mohammed al-Adnani announced an amnesty for Iraqis who battled against the terror group in Anbar province and have since fled the province.

"Oh people of Anbar, return to your homes and go back to your people," he said in an audio message posted online.

Adnani also called for more Muslims to carry out acts of jihad during the holy Islamic month of Ramadan, saying: "The best acts that bring you closer to God are jihad, so hurry to it and make sure to carry out the invasion this holy month and be exposed to martyrdom in it."

Sajad Jiyad, Iraq expert and director of research at independent consultancy Integrity, says that Isis' offer of amnesty for Sunni citizens of Anbar is an attempt to divert attention from a lack of success on the battlefield in Syria, where they have lost a key town to Kurdish forces this week, and Iraq where they are under pressure from increased US assistance to Baghdad.

"Isis are under a lot of pressure. The spokesman's message, timed with the video of that execution, is trying to deflect attention away from the fact that they are struggling on the battlefield," he says, speaking from Baghdad. "Things are not going well for them in Syria and in Iraq I think the pressure is on them too."

"In Anbar, the tribes are key to the battle so if Isis can sway the tribes by any means, whether it is intimidation, whether it is coercion, or offering them amnesty, they will go for it," he adds. "But, I don't think it is going to be effective. The fact that they have executed so many Sunni prisoners means that no one is reassured that they will live up to these promises."

In addition to the offer of amnesty, the terror group also extended a "last chance" to Iraqi security forces and tribesmen battling the group in Anbar, west of the capital, Baghdad, to "repent" and surrender their weapons.

The loss of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, dealt a significant blow to Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi's mission to oust the terror group from the country. Iraqi forces have been forced to spread out as they battle Isis in western Iraq and northern Iraq, another factor which has almost certainly delayed a projected spring offensive on Mosul to 2016.

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