Joint Iraqi force kills three Islamic State militants in Mosul
Islamic State militants. File photo
Mosul (IraqiNews.com) – Iraqi troops killed on Wednesday three militants of Islamic State during a military operation in Mosul city.
A joint force of the Iraqi army and al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces) carried out a military operation to purge Sheikh Ibrahim desert town, in western Mosul, from Islamic State militants, Almaalomah news website quoted the media service of al-Hashd al-Shaabi as saying in a statement.
“Three Islamic State terrorists were killed in the military operation,” the statement added.
Former Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi announced in July 2017 liberation of the second largest Iraqi city of Mosul from IS militants, who had captured it in 2014. More than 25,000 militants were killed throughout the campaign, which started in October 2016.
The campaign was backed by paramilitary troops and a U.S.-led international coalition.
Iraq declared the collapse of Islamic State’s territorial influence in Iraq 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.
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.