ISIS set Iraqi oil fields ablaze as locals given a terrifying reminder of Saddam Hussein’s oil field infernos
Images of the devastating fires emerge as Iraqi forces chase terror group out of Qarraya
FLEEING ISIS fighters left a trail of destruction as they retreated from Iraqi forces - by flooding the streets with oil and setting it ablaze.
In scenes were reminiscent of Saddam Hussein's tactic of burning Kuwait's oil field as his armies retreated during the Gulf War.
Jihadis left the trail of destruction as they fled the town of Qarraya.
The war-torn settlement's streets lay flooded with thick oil as locals watched on.
And hours later, pictures emerged of the oil ablaze as the extremists left in the face of oncoming Iraqi forces.
Speaking to Reuters, one local resident, Abdel Aziz Saleh, 25, said: "They are suffocating us.
"The birds, the animals are black, the people are black. Gas rains down on us at night.
related stories
"Now the gas has reached the residential areas."
The Iraqi military later tweeted images of the horizon ablaze as the fuel burned.
Oil exports have proved a lucrative industry for ISIS, with the self-declared caliphate exporting an estimated 50 trucks a day from Qarraya alone.
The identity of the buyers remains a point of contention between Western powers.
Iraqi forces and the Kurdish Peshmerga have slowly been rolling back the terror group through Iraq.
Mosul remains the one large Iraqi city under its control and security forces believe its re-capture will see ISIS all-but booted out of Iraq.
The cities of Fallujah and Ramadi have already been cleared this year.
But both were left littered with booby traps that have killed dozens in recent months.
And ISIS's latest tactic of setting fire to oil stocks continues its 'scorched earth' policy.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368
