ISIS targets merchant’s house in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor
DEIR EZ-ZOR, Syria (North Press) – Militants of the Islamic State Organization (ISIS) targeted on Wednesday a merchants’ house in the town of al-Busayrah, 35km east of Deir ez-Zor Governorate, eastern Syria, with machineguns.
The merchant had received many threats of ISIS militants for not paying zakat money, as he works in oil investments, by putting paper clips on his car or in front of his house, and sending him messages on Whatsapp from unknown numbers.
Ahmad al-Iraqi, a relative of the targeted man, said “gunmen, in a Jeep, targeted the house of Omar al-Iraqi Abu Adel, a contractor of an oil well in al-Busayrah, with machineguns.”
“Clashes with machineguns were broken between the targeted man and the attackers, forcing them to withdraw and flee towards Badia,” al-Iraqi added.
“After continuous threats for more than five times during the recent two months, still the merchant rejecting to pay the money,” he added.
On June 29, gunmen targeted al-Iraqi’s house with RPGs and machineguns for the first time.
ISIS forces most of oil merchants and oil contractors to pay huge amounts of money under the pretext of royal cost, zakat, for ISIS through threatening them to be punished, according to contractors form the town.
The countryside of Deir ez-Zor witnesses an increase in cases of assassination, targeting members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), employees of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), tribal leaders and civilians, despite the intensive security operations launched by the SDF.
On April 9, gunmen burnt an oil well in Dhiban Badia, in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, after an investor refused to pay the Zakat.