Soldier killed, another injured in attack east of Baquba
Iraqi soldiers carry weapons during an operation against Islamic State militants in the neighbourhood of Intisar, eastern Mosul, Iraq, December 5, 2016. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani
Diyala (IraqiNews.com) A soldier was killed, another one was injured in an attack launched by Islamic State against security checkpoint, east of Baquba, according to a local source from Diyala province.
“An army checkpoint in Bazayez region, 20 KM east of Baquba, was attacked on Wednesday by armed gunmen of IS, leaving one soldier killed and another injured,” the source told Al Sumaria News.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source confirmed casualties among IS members “due to clashes with the security personnel that lasted for almost an hour.”
Moreover, the sources indicated that “joint troops started combing the area in search for IS militants.”
Security checkpoints are targeted by IS every now and then leaving casualties.
IS has escalated violent attacks against security members and civilians across Iraqi provinces over the months that followed the launch of a security campaign to retake its biggest stronghold in Mosul last October. Observers believe the attacks aim at making up for losses the group has been sustaining in Mosul, which,if recaptured, could be symbolic blow to the extremist group’s self-styled “Islamic Caliphate” declared in 2014 when the group occupied several parts of the country.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) said violence in the country left 19000 casualties in nine months of 2016.