Five IS militants killed, sixth arrested in attack, north of Salahuddin

Salahuddin (IraqiNews.com) Five Islamic State militants were killed, while the sixth was arrested as paramilitary troops repulsed an attack in north of Salahuddin, a security source said.

“The 31st brigade of Al-Hashd al-Shaabi [Popular Mobilization Forces] managed on Friday to kill five IS militants and arrest the sixth in al-Siniyah region, north of Salahuddin,” the source told Baghdad Today on Friday.

On Thursday, PMFs killed an IS suicide attacker and were looking for others in north of Salahuddin, saying that several bombers were besieged in a tunnel at Makhoul mountainsز

Federal Police announced, late September, liberation of eastern Shirqat, the group’s holdout in north of the province. 225 militants had been killed since the launch of operations in Shirqat.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi and the Joint Operations Command announced on September 21, the launch of first phase of operations to liberate Hawija and western Shirqat. Federal Police, Rapid Response and the pro-government Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) took part in the attack, according to the command.

The Iraqi army said in September 2016 its forces recaptured the western coast of Shirqat, located south of Mosul, on the west bank of the Tigris river, after being surrounded for months by Iraqi troops and the pro-government Shi’ite militias.

Iraqi troops still have only western Anbar’s towns of Rawa and Qaim remain under the militant’s control. Iraqi troops recaptured the town of Annah, a third IS holdout neighboring those two towns, late September.