Five Islamic State members killed in foiled attack near Iraqi-Syrian borders
Al-Hashd al-Sha’bi during operations in Tal Afar.
“The 29th brigade of al-Hashd al-Shaabi [Popular Mobilization Forces] managed to thwart an attack by the militants through Tal Sufuk crossing on the Iraqi-Syrian borders,” a statement said. “Five militants were killed.”
The troops killed, on Thursday, seven militants, while the rest ran away in an attack against units in Tal Sufuk.
Despite declaring the victory over IS in Mosul, the group’s former bastion in Iraq, observers say IS is believed to constitute a security threat even after the group’s defeat at its main havens across Iraqi provinces.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared, in July, victory over IS militants who had held the second largest Iraqi city since 2014. More than 25000 militants were killed throughout the campaign.
A government campaign, backed by paramilitary troops and the coalition has been fighting, since October 2016, the militant group, which declared a self-styled “caliphate” from Mosul in June 2014.
The war against IS has so far displaced at least five million people. Thousands of others fled toward neighboring countries including Syria, Turkey and other European countries, since IS emerged to proclaim its self-styled “caliphate”.