As we learn of the initial casualties in the fight to free Mosul in Iraq from ISIS, the terror group has resorted to playing games to determine who the “lucky” martyrs are. Morale is down for the jihadists as illustrated by some fighters being caught in women’s clothing trying to flee the city after leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had called for all of the women associated with the group to flee the city in light of the fighting. I suppose were I a poorly trained jihadist facing down American and Kurdish Peshmerga forces I would don women’s clothing and head for the hills as well.

Some of the less brilliant or more dedicated, depending on how you view them, have resorted to playing children’s guessing games in order to determine who the next “lucky” martyr will be to strap on a suicide vest and go to meet the 72 virgins of every Islamist’s dream. In the video below one of these geniuses acts as though he has won the lottery when he discovers that he is about to become the man of the hour. Indeed he seems to be the latest jihadi poster boy for ISIS as the star of their latest propaganda video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_9oEg6JKFw

This comes on the heels of reports from the UN Commissioner for Human Rights announced that the terror group has been shooting civilians who are attempting to flee the area. The terror group was also going door to door in the area forcing families to leave their villages and head into Mosul. Those suspected of disloyalty to the group are being shot.

All of this as the battle to liberate Mosul and the surrounding area rages on, as described in an article in the Daily Mail:

“Multiple explosions rocked the city and gun battles were underway, said witnesses in Kirkuk, speaking on condition of anonymity as they were concerned for their safety. Much of the fighting was centered on a government compound in the city.

ISIS said its fighters were behind the attack, which the extremist group said targeted the Iraqi government. The claim was carried by the IS-run Aamaq news agency and could not immediately be verified.

Iraqi and Kurdish forces backed by U.S.-led coalition support launched a multi-pronged assault this week to retake Mosul and surrounding areas from IS.

The operation is the largest undertaken by the Iraqi military since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

Iraqi officials said they had advanced as far as the town of Bartella, 15 kilometers (9 miles) from Mosul’s outskirts, by Thursday.”

The offensive is a joint effort between American forces, the Iraqi army and Kurdish Peshmerga forces and is the largest operation involving the Iraqi military since 2003. Unfortunately, since the current coalition is united purely to fight ISIS, once that enemy has been vanquished we cannot guarantee that our “allies” in this fight will not turn on us.

In the meantime we have vicious Islamists running amok across the Middle East, resorting to drawing straws to be the next human bomb in the hopes of slipping their earthly bonds in order to live in infamy among their fellow martyrs. Don’t get me wrong, if my lot in life were similar I might act like I hit the Mega Millions upon drawing this particular short straw. According to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) the average annual income in Iraq is a scant $7, 100. According to 75% of the Iraqi’s polled by this organization poverty is the nation’s main issue and 18% of the youth between the ages of 15-24 are unemployed.

With a future like that, it is easy to see why ISIS continues to be able to attract “soldiers” to their cause like flies to honey. Too bad we don’t have a prayer of electing anyone with the foresight to help solve these issues anytime in the near future.