The Islamic State group — also known as Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) — is apparently planning to vacate the Anbar province of Iraq. The move may come as a big relief to the Iraqi Army as well as the coalition troops led by the United States that are fighting the terrorist group in Iraq.

However, this could also mean trouble for the forces fighting wherever the ISIS militants are going, especially after reports claiming that they have taken hostages from among the locals, whom they want to use as human shield.

Hundreds of families taken hostage

An Iraqi News report quoted the Al-Hashd al-Shaabi Command in the Anbar province as saying that ISIS militants had taken 700 families from the Rawa district of the province, whom they plan to use as human shields as they move out of the region or look to repel attacks on themselves.

The report quoted al-Somoud brigade Intelligence Director Captain Nazim al-Jaghifi as saying in a statement: "ISIS terrorist gangs are detaining 700 families, mostly women and children, in the Rawa district, to use them as human shields." There were also reports that they had executed several youths in the area.

"The ISIS terrorists are preventing civilians from leaving the areas of Rawa district for three years now, and impelled them to grow their beards and wear special clothes, in addition to preventing cigarettes and burning registration offices," said Jaghifi, adding: "ISIS executed dozens of youths in the previous period for trying to flee toward the areas held by security forces in Haditha and Rutba."

ISIS transporting weapons to Syria

Meanwhile, Alalam News quoted local reports as saying that ISIS had started transporting much of its "heavy military equipment" from "Al-Qaim, Rawah and Anah in Iraq's Anbar province, to the Syrian desert city of Raqqa, which is also the terrorist groups de facto capital" of its so-called Caliphate.

The article also claimed: "Much of the equipment is rocket launchers, battle tanks and armoured vehicles also transporting." Combined, the two developments clearly indicate that ISIS is moving out of the Anbar province of Iraq.