Iraqi troops foil infiltration attempt by Islamic State in Diyala
Iraqi security forces arrest a suspected member of the Islamic State group
Diyala (IraqiNews.com) – Pro-government forces thwarted on Tuesday an attempt by Islamic State militants to infiltrate into a district in the eastern Iraqi province of Diyala, a security source was quoted as saying.
Speaking to Iraqi website Alghad Press, the source said that militants of Islamic State sought to sneak into the Bardan hills on the outskirts of al-Sadiyah district, in northeastern Diyala, but fighters of Al-Hashd Al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces) managed to foil their plot.
The source further warned that Islamic State still has dormant cells in different parts of Diyala, who seek to undermine the province’s security by launched terrorist attacks against civilians and security forces.
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.