Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Baghdad

Iraqi officer killed, another went missing in Islamic State ambush, south of Mosul

 Iraqi officer killed, another went missing in Islamic State ambush, south of Mosul

Representational Photo

Representational Photo
Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) An Iraqi officer was killed, while another went missing in an ambush set up by Islamic State militants, south of Nineveh province, Waradana news agency reported.

“A colonel from the national security department was killed in an ambush set up by IS militants, while another officer, a first lieutenant, went missing,” a police source said.

“The ambush was set up in al-Najma village in Qayyarah, south of Nineveh,” the source added.

Iraqi troops had liberated Qayyarah in August.

Violence in the country has surged further with the emergence of Islamic State Sunni extremist militants who proclaimed an “Islamic Caliphate” in Iraq and Syria in 2014.

A monthly count by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI), issued this week said 518 Iraqis were killed and injured during the month of June. Nineveh province was the most affected governorate with 233, Baghdad came next then Anbar.

Bombings and armed attacks are seen on on almost a daily basis against security members, paramilitary groups and civilians since the Iraqi government launched a wide-scale campaign to retake IS-occupied areas in 2016.

Despite declaring the victory over IS in Mosul in July, observers say IS is believed to constitute a security threat even after the group’s defeat at its main havens across Iraqi provinces.

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