Senior Islamic State military official killed by gunmen in Kirkuk

Haqwija (IraqiNews.com) Unknown gunmen shot dead a senior Islamic State military official in southwestern Kirkuk, a local official in the province was quoted saying on Wednesday.

Ahmed Khourshid, a member of the municipal council of Hawija, an Islamic State stronghold, told Alsumaria News that Tarek Amniya, the military bureau official of the Islamic State’s so-called Diyala State, was gunned down by unknown assailants.

The attack took place at al-Madina, a village in Hawija, the source said, adding that Amniya was one of the much-hated figures in Hawija and had carried out executions of many locals sentenced to death by the Islamic State.

Islamic State has held Hawija since the group emerged in 2014 to declare a “caliphate” in Iraq and Syria. Iraqi government forces launched offensives late 2016 to retake areas held by the group. Since then, there have been occasional reports of anonymous assassinations of group members at some cities occupied by the militants.

Hawija currently hosts offices of the Islamic State command offices of Diyala, Salahuddin and others as the group had withdrawn from those areas.

Earlier this month, Iraqi forces declared victory over IS in Mosul, the group’s largest bastion in Iraq, ending more than eight months of fighting. The Iraqi government intends to launch further offensives to clear other havens, including Hawija.