ISIL Militants Threaten to ‘Drown Americans in Blood’ in New Video
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militant group that swept Iraq and drawn the first American airstrikes since the end of the occupation in 2011 warned the United States on Monday it will attack Americans “in any place” if the raids hit its militants.
The video shows a photograph of an American who was beheaded during the US occupation of Iraq, victims of snipers and US tanks being blown up in Iraq. A statement in English introduced under a Twitter hashtag, #AmessagefromISIStoUS, reads “we will drown all of you in blood”.
US airstrikes in northern Iraq have helped Kurdish fighters take back some territory captured by ISIL, who have threatened to march on Baghdad, AFP reported.
Military aircraft have carried out 35 airstrikes against ISIL militants in Iraq over the past three days, destroying more than 90 targets, the Pentagon said on Monday.
The strikes marked the most intensive US bombardments of ISIL positions since they began on August 8.
Drones and fighter, bomber and attack jets “eliminated” fighters’ positions as the militants battled for control of a major dam in northern Iraq, Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said.
“In all, we destroyed over 90 targets including a range of vehicles, equipment and fighting positions,” he added in a statement.
“Iraqi forces have cleared the dam and are working to further expand their area of control.”
The latest advance by the ISIL militants sent tens of thousands of members of the Yazidi ethnic minority and Christians fleeing for their lives and alarmed the Baghdad government and its Western allies.