Islamic State kidnaps farmer after storming village in Iraq
Islamic State fighters carry their swords following a battle with Iraqi security forces. File photo
Salahuddin (Iraqinews.com) – A group of Islamic State (IS) militants stormed a village in Salahuddin governorate and kidnapped a farmer there, a security source was quoted as saying Wednesday.
“IS terrorists attacked late Tuesday Wadi al-Safa village in al-Shirqat district and kidnapped a farmer from a local tribe there,” the source told Iraqi website Shafaaq.
“The militants seized a truck as well,” the source pointed out.
Three truck drivers were killed two days ago in a military attack launched by Islamic State on a road between Baghdad and Kirkuk.
Islamic State continues to launch sporadic attacks across Iraq against troops. Security reports indicate that the militant group still poses a threat against stability in the country.
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.