Soldier wounded in an IED blast northeast of Diyala
Iraqi government forces in Hamreen Mountains in Diyala.
“A bomb, placed on the side of an agricultural road at the outskirts of Rabei’a village, near al-Saadiya town, northeast of Baqubah, exploded on Wednesday morning, targeting an army patrol,” the source told AlSumaria News, adding that a soldier was wounded.
“Security troops cordoned off the blast spot and started combing the region,” the source, who preferred anonymity, said.
Attacks launched by Islamic State militants against security troops, the pro-government forces and civilians surged over the past few weeks in northeast of Diyala, which urge the Iraqi forces to prevent the militants infiltration between Salahuddin and Kirkuk provinces, especially the regions stretching along Hamreen mountains and Al-Azeem town.
IS holds pivotal regions that link between each of Diyala, Salahuddin and Kirkuk, posing threats to the liberated regions.
Violence in the country has surged further with the emergence of Islamic State Sunni extremist militants who proclaimed an “Islamic Caliphate” in Iraq and Syria in 2014.
More than 700 Iraqis were killed and wounded during the month of June as result of violence and armed conflicts, according to a monthly count by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) which excludes security members deaths. Baghdad ranked the second place with 22 deaths and 88 injuries.