Donkey killed in IED explosion in Diyala, saves civilians from death
Representational photo.
A local source told Alsumaria that an IED, planted on the side of an agricultural road in a town southeast of Diyala, exploded early Tuesday, killing a donkey as it stepped on it.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source added that the road is used by many civilians, especially farmers, on a daily basis, indicating that they were saved by the donkey.
Violence in Iraq has surged further with the emergence of Islamic State Sunni extremist militants who proclaimed an “Islamic Caliphate” in Iraq and Syria in 2014.
Islamic State members have escalated their attacks against security and civilians over the past months as Iraqi forces were focusing most of their efforts to drive the group out of Mosul, the militants’ former capital which was declared free on July 10.
More than 25000 militants were killed in the Mosul campaign, according to Iraqi generals, including both foreign and local members, while a few thousands remain in other havens in Diyala, Salahuddin, Kirkuk and Anbar which the Iraqi government plans to target with future military offensives.