Iraqi troops kill 20 members of Islamic State in Mosul
A picture shows Islamic State military doing a military exercise
Nineveh (Iraqinews.com) – Up to 20 members of the terrorist Islamic State (IS) group, including fighters of different Arab nationalities, have been killed during a wide-scale security campaign in Mosul city.
“Joint security forces managed to kill 20 Islamic State members, including Arab fighters, during a security campaign in the mountainous area in al-Atshana and Badush towns, 30 km northwest of Mosul,” Basnews website quoted the spokesman for Nineveh Operations Command, Brig. Gen. Mohamed al-Jabouri, as saying Wednesday.
“The troops also destroyed a number of tunnels in the mountainous area, which, after the security campaign, was announced free of terrorist elements,” al-Jabouri pointed out.
The Islamic State group appeared on the international scene in 2014 when it seized large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria, declaring the establishment of an Islamic “caliphate” from Mosul city.
Later on, the group has become notorious for its brutality, including mass killings, abductions and beheadings, prompting the U.S. to lead an international coalition to destroy it.
Despite the group’s crushing defeat at its main havens across Iraq, Islamic State continues to launch sporadic attacks against troops with security reports warning that the militant group still poses a threat against stability in the country.