Paramilitary troops kill three Islamic State in infiltration attempt in Diyala

Diyala (IraqiNews.com) Three Islamic State members were killed in an infiltration attempt in Diyala by the pro-government paramilitary troops, a security source said on Monday.

Speaking to Almaalomah website, the source said “forces of al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces) managed to kill three Islamic State members who were trying to sneak into al-Udhaim region from the northern side.”

PMFs, according to the source, “carry out operations every now and then to secure Udhaim road and the vast desert stretching between the mountains.”

On Sunday, seventeen Islamic State members were killed in airstrikes, northeast of Diyala.

Thousands of Islamic State militants as well as Iraqi civilians were killed since the government campaign, backed by paramilitary troops and the coalition was launched in October 2016 to fight the militant group, which declared a self-styled “caliphate” from Mosul in June 2014.

In December, the Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi announced gaining control on all the territories that were captured by Islamic State, since 2014. However, the group still has dormant cells, through which it carries out attacks, across Iraq like it used to do before 2014.

Islamic State continues to launch sporadic attacks across Iraq against troops. Security reports indicate that the militant group still poses threat against stability in the country.