Friday, March 29, 2024

Baghdad

Six members of Islamic State in Diyala killed in blast, airstrike

 Six members of Islamic State in Diyala killed in blast, airstrike

Islamic State fighters in Iraq.

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) Six members of the Islamic State’s so-called “Diyala State” were killed Sunday in a blast and airstrikes in Kirkuk and Salahuddin.

Three senior leaders from the Islamic State were killed in airstrikes that targeted their location at the outskirts of Hawija, a group stronghold in southwestern Kirkuk.

In statements quoted by Alsumaria News, Sadeq al-Husseini, chairman of Diyala security committee, said one of those killed was the group’s media official in the province.

Also in Diyala, Udai al-Khadran, mayor of the town of Khales, said three other Islamic State members died while a booby-trapped ambush they were trying to set up in Mutaibija exploded.

Mutaibija lies between Diyala and Salahuddin, and has proven to be a security concern having witnessed several deadly attacks against security members.

According to Khadran, IS members have worked on booby-trapping Mutaibija roads to stymie any advances by security troops.

Iraqi forces, backed by a U.S.-led international military coalition and paramilitary forces, have been battling Islamic State militants in Mosul, its largest stronghold in Iraq, since October 2016. IS still maintains pockets at other provinces like Salahuddin, Anbar and Kirkuk, and it is expected that the government will redirect its war efforts towards those regions once it is done with retaking Mosul.

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