Islamic State militants attack police station in Nineveh, kill two guards

Nineveh (Iraqinews.com) – Two Iraqi policemen were killed Saturday during a firefight with Islamic State militants near a police station in al-Hadar district, south of Mosul, a security source was quoted as saying.

Speaking to Iraqi website BasNews, the source said, “A group of Islamic State militants fleeing from al-Jazeera area, 90 km south of Mosul, launched an attack on a police station in al-Hadar district and clashed with security forces there, leaving two policemen dead.”

“After the attack, security forces launched a manhunt across the district as they managed to arrest four Islamic State militants, including a Syrian fighter,” the source added.

He explained that security forces took the “four IS militants into the headquarters of the Nineveh operations command, where they will be interrogated and then transferred to a court for trial.”

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.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi announced in December final victory over Islamic State three years after the militant group captured about a third of Iraq’s territory.