Paramilitary troops say 10 IS members killed on Iraqi-Syrian borders
Unidentified jet shells al-Hashd al-Shaabi troops in west of Mosul
(IraqiNews.com) Ten Islamic State militants were killed as the Shia-led paramilitary troops repulsed an attack on the Iraqi-Syria borders, the media service said.
In a statement on Monday, the media service of al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units) said troops, backed by the Iraqi jets repelled an IS attack at the region between the borders and al-Hamdaniyah district, northeast of Nineveh province.
Ten militants were killed, while six vehicles of the group were burnt, the statement added.
Another statement by the Defense Ministry’s War Media Cell said an airstrike was carried out at Tal Sufouq, a region at Nineveh’s borders with Syria, killed 20 militants.
In May, Hadi al-Amiri, head of Badr Organization, which works under the umbrella of the PMUs, announced reaching to Iraqi-Syrian borders.
The target behind expanding the control of borders, according to PMUs officials, is to prevent infiltration of of IS militants from Syria to Iraq.
PMUs, an alliance of more than 60 mostly Shia militias, are recognized by the government as a national force under the Prime Minister’s command.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi vowed to keep the PMUs for several years and announced increase of their budget to raise the fighters’ wages.