Social media fury after Iraqi media report killing of baby girl by ISIS

Iraqi media reported on Friday the killing of a child nearly two years of age by the hand of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants allegedly because her father was fighting the Islamist group.

Iraq News Agency said Noorhan al-Assafi is the daughter of one of the sheikhs of al-Assaf tribe, who were battling ISIS when the Islamists pressed on an offensive that led them to control a main government building in Ramadi, capital of the western Iraqi province of Anbar on Friday.

One source from Ramadi told Iraq News Agency “that the terrorist ISIS afterentering al-Ramadi, killed dozens of people including women and children for backing the security forces there.”

“ISIS killed Noohan Ali Talal al-Assafi alongside 11 members of her family, mainly her uncles because they belonged to al-Sahwa,” the source said. Al-Sahwa was formed in 2005 as a Sunni salvation movement against al-Qaeda in Anbar; it morphed into Sons of Iraq, who also rejected ISIS militants.

On social media, Iraqis shared many pictures of Noorhan and expressed their disdain over her killing.

One person on Twitter shared a cartoon of her as an “angel” and another rejected violence saying “war kills women and children and humiliates men.”

Others vowed that the Popular Mobilization units will take vengeance over her killing.

The units are mainly Shiite volunteer groups aiding Iraqi forces against the Islamist militants.