ISIS occupied Telsqof for ten days beginning on August 7 but was forced out on August 17 by Kurdish peshmerga. According to residents, only 20 homes were occupied by ISIS, as well as the church, which was not disturbed. After the peshmerga took control of the town on August 17, residents observed that homes and stores began being ransacked, apparently in search of gold, money and weapons.
On August 24 a second wave of looting occurred when a new unit of peshmerga took control of the town, and this group began stealing televisions and other electronics. A week after that a third peshmerga unit moved in and began systematically looting electrical appliances such as blenders and food processors, as well as gas cylinders, white oil drums and even curtains, rugs and carpets.
According to a resident identified as VM, access to Telsqof is controlled by a special unit of the Asayish, the Kurdish intelligence service. Residents of the town are required to prove their identity and place of residence when entering the town to retrieve their belongings. No one is allowed to enter or leave between 1 and 4 PM. The Asayish forces question residence at length when they leave the town. VM said that about 20 families per day are entering the town to collect their possessions.
A resident identified as OS said his house was looted after ISIS left. Boot prints are still clearly visible on the door of his house where it was kicked in. The locks and glass doors were broken.
According to OS, a large number of families from Telsqof have decided to leave the country because they no longer feel safe living in Iraq, especially after their town was looted by both ISIS and peshmerga.
Photos courtesy of ankawa.com.
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