Three people shot dead in two separate armed attacks in Diyala
Representational photo.
Diyala (Iraqinews.com) – Three people were killed on Wednesday in two separate armed attacks in northeastern Diyala, a security source was quoted as saying.
Speaking to Alghad Press, the source said, “Unidentified gunmen shot two people dead outside a hospital in Miqdadiyah, about 30 km northeast of Baquba, the capital of Diyala.”
“Also, an employee at the Roads and Bridges Department breathed his last after unknown gunmen opened fire at him at a village on the outskirts of Miqdadiyah,” the source added.
Violence in the country has surged further with the emergence of Islamic State extremist militants who proclaimed an “Islamic Caliphate” in Iraq and Syria in 2014.
The surge in violence between armed groups and government forces has resulted in over 3 million internally displaced persons across Iraq and left more than 11 million in need of humanitarian assistance, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
In January 2015, Iraqi forces announced liberation of Diyala province from Islamic State extremist militants who proclaimed an “Islamic Caliphate” in Iraq and Syria in 2014.
The province has seen months of fighting between Iraqi troops and IS militants especially in the Jalawla and Saadiyah areas in the province’s north and areas near the town of Miqdadiyah.
In December, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared final victory over Islamic State three years after the militant group captured about a third of Iraq’s territory.