4 paramilitary personnel injured as Islamic State attack training facility, south of Tikrit

Salahuddin (IraqiNews.com) Four paramilitary personnel were wounded in an attack by Islamic State members against a training facility, south of Tikrit, a security source from Salahuddin province was quoted saying.

Speaking to AlSumaria News, the source said on Wednesday, “Islamic State members attacked, in the evening, a training facility of al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces), located in Balad town, south of Tikrit, leaving four personnel wounded.”

“The attack was launched from the western al-Hudeira region, located behind the facility, which is a liberated area,” the source, who asked to remain anonymous, added. “Military deployments arrived in the wake of the attack.”

A total of 104 Iraqi civilians and policemen were killed, while 177 others were injured in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict in Iraq in March, according to casualty figures by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).

As many as 3,298 civilians were killed and 4,781 others were wounded in 2017, excluding Anbar civilian casualty figures for November and December, which are not available, UNAMI said in a report in December.

Thousands of IS militants as well as Iraqi civilians were killed since the government campaign, backed by paramilitary troops and the coalition was launched in October 2016 to fight the militant group, which declared a self-styled “caliphate” from Mosul in June 2014.

In December, Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi announced full liberation of Iraqi lands, declaring end of war against IS members.