Around 40 civilians, security personnel killed by Islamic State in three days, south of Mosul
Displaced Iraqi civilians rescued at the site of battle rest at the positions of Iraqi forces at the Old City in Mosul, Iraq June 29, 2017. REUTERS/Erik De Castro
The group increased its attacks over the past three days. It focused on the open areas and roads that surround Mosul, in order to be easy for them to withdraw after carrying out the ambushes, the newspaper quoted security sources as saying on Tuesday. These ambushes left at least 40 civilians and security personnel killed and injured by the militants.
According to the sources, the group depended on carrying out the ambushes swiftly and taking advantage from the desert and agricultural nature of these areas to enable them move quickly.
Some of the ambushes were carried out without vehicles, so the militants withdrew while the vehicles were near to transfer the kidnapped people, the sources added.
On Monday, the Iraqi Interior Ministry announced arresting Islamic State leader in charge of real estate along with his father, known as the legislative leader, west of Mosul.
Thousands of Islamic State 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.