Twenty IS militants killed in heavy shelling on Diyala-Salahuddin borders

Mutaibija (IraqiNews.com) Heavy shelling targeted Islamic State locations in Mutaibija region on the borders between Diyala and Salahuddin provinces, according to a local source.

“Air force launched strikes late on Monday against IS havens in Mutaibija on the borders between Diyala and Salahuddin,” Udai al-Khadran, mayor of al-Khales town, north of Baquba, told AlSumaria News on Tuesday.

According to Khadran, “more than ten locations were targeted during the shelling,” which he described as ‘heavy’.

“Twenty militants were killed and injured, while hideouts and rest houses as well as explosives were destroyed,” he added.

Attacks launched by Islamic State militants against security troops, the pro-government forces and civilians surged over the past few weeks in northeast of Diyala, which urge the Iraqi forces to prevent the militants infiltration between Salahuddin and Kirkuk provinces, especially the regions stretching along Hamreen mountains and Al-Azeem town.

IS holds pivotal regions that link between each of Diyala, Salahuddin and Kirkuk, posing threats to the liberated regions.

Occasional attacks have been witnessed in Mutaibija by Islamic State against government and paramilitary troops deployments since Iraqi forces, backed by a U.S.-led coalition and PMUs, launched a major offensive to retake areas occupied by IS since 2014, most notably the city of Mosul.