Iraqi warplanes kill eight IS militants between Diyala, Salahuddin provinces

Diyala (Iraqinews.com) – Eight Islamic State (IS) members were killed Monday in an airstrike on Mutaibija region on the borders between Diyala and Salahuddin provinces, a local official was quoted as saying.

Speaking to Alghad Press, Mohammed Daifan al-Obeidi, the head of Diyala’s provincial council, said the airstrike was staged after a group of IS militants attacked Mubarak al-Farhan village on the borders between Diyala and Salahuddin last night, leaving six people wounded.

“According to preliminary reports, the airstrike left eight IS militants dead,” Al-Obeidi pointed out.

Al-Obeidi further warned that the IS group is still active in the area between Diyala and Salahuddin provinces. Therefore, he called for reinforcing security presence to end the threat of extremist groups there.

Iraq declared the collapse of Islamic State’s territorial influence earlier in November 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.

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.