Iraqi paramilitary forces kill two Islamic State terrorists in Nineveh

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – An Iraqi paramilitary force said on Sunday that its personnel killed two Islamic State terrorists during a military operation in Nineveh province.

In a press statement carried by Al Sumaria News TV channel, the pro-government Popular Mobilization Forces said its fighters “killed two militants of the Islamic State terrorist group” in al-Ba’aj district in Nineveh province as part of a wide-scale military operation, which was launched earlier in the day on the country’s border with Syria.

The Joint Operations Command had launched the “Victory Will” operation on Sunday morning to pursue Islamic State remnants, who are still at large in Nineveh, Salahuddin and Anbar provinces.

Iraq declared the collapse of Islamic State’s territorial influence in November 2017 with the recapture of Rawa, a city on Anbar’s western borders with Syria, which was the group’s last bastion in Iraq.

IS declared a self-styled “caliphate” in a third of Iraq and neighboring Syria in 2014. A government campaign, backed by a U.S.-led international coalition and paramilitary forces, was launched in 2016 to retake IS-held regions, managing to retake all havens, most notably the city of Mosul, the group’s previously proclaimed capital.