Senior Islamic State leader, companion, killed near Salahuddin-Diyala borders

Mutaibija (IraqiNews.com) A prominent Islamic State leader and his companion were killed near the borders between Salahuddin and Diyala provinces, Dijla Operations Command has announced.

‘Joint troops killed a senior IS leader called Haitham Abdullah Hamad al-Terazi and one of his companions in an operation carried out near Hawi al-Azeem region,” Maj. Gen. Mazhar al-Azzawi, commander of Dijla Operations told AlSumaria News on Monday.

“Terazi, who is an Iraqi national, is a prominent IS leader in Mutaibija. He has been an important target for security troops, which killed him after locating his position accurately,” Azzawi added. “Such operations killed several IS leaders over the past few months, especially near borders between Salahuddin and Diyala.”

Pivotal regions that link between each of Diyala, Salahuddin and Kirkuk, are still held by the militants posing threats to the liberated regions. IS havens are expected to be targeted by the Iraqi government, after security achieved victory in Mosul, the group’s biggest stronghold in Iraq.

Occasional attacks have been witnessed in Mutaibija by Islamic State against government and paramilitary troops deployments since Iraqi forces, backed by a U.S.-led coalition and PMUs, launched a major offensive to retake areas occupied by IS since 2014.