Seven Islamic State members killed in army airstrike in Salahuddin
Airstrike by the US-led international coalition aircraft.
In remarks on Wednesday, Col. Mohamed Khalil al-Bazi, from Salahuddin Operations Command, said “the shelling took place on Wednesday in al-Shai region in Mutaibija, east of Samarra, leaving seven fighters killed and two motorbikes destroyed.”
The shelling, according to the source, “targeted two rest houses and tunnels that were discovered through drones.”
The dormant cells in Mutaibija, “changed its style and reduced number of its militants to avoid airstrikes,” it added.
Thousands of 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.
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. The group still has dormant cells, through which it carries out attacks, across Iraq like it used to do before 2014.
A total of 79 Iraqi civilians were killed and another 99 injured in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict in Iraq in July 2018, according to casualty figures recorded by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).