Iraqi army, Kurdish troops repulse Islamic State attack in Diyala

Diyala (Iraqinews.com) – Iraqi army, backed by Kurdish security forces, repulsed late on Tuesday an attack by the Islamic State group in Diyala, a security source was quoted as saying.

According to the source, “An attack by Islamic State militants took place at 11:30 pm near a security checkpoint on the outskirts of Jalawla in eastern Diyala.”

The troops managed to repulse the attack, which lasted for 30 minutes, the source told Shafaq News.

Iraqi security authorities denied on Tuesday media reports about an attack against a parliamentary candidate and three policemen in Diyala governorate.

In a statement, the Iraqi security media council termed as “baseless” all reports about the targeting of a parliamentary candidate’s house and injury of three policemen, including a colonel, in al-Muqdadiyah district in Diyala.

In January 2015, Iraqi forces announced liberation of Diyala province from Islamic State extremist militants who proclaimed an “Islamic Caliphate” in Iraq and Syria in 2014.

The province has seen months of fighting between Iraqi troops and IS militants especially in the Jalawla and Saadiyah areas in the province’s north and areas near the town of Muqdadiyah.

Islamic State continues to launch sporadic attacks across Iraq against troops with security reports indicating that the militant group still poses a threat against stability in the country.