Mysterious blasts urges IS militants to be on high alert in Salahuddin
Smoke billows from the Islamic State militants positions after an artillery attack by Iraqi forces. REUTERS/Erik De Castro
“Mysterious blast took place on Sunday at the outskirts of the western coast of Shirqat,” the source told AlSumaria News. “Smoke was seen coming out of one of the group’s rest houses.”
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source said, “the militants are on high alert in an unprecedented way.”
Earlier this month, news reports indicated unprecedented displacement by IS families from Shirqat toward unknown destinations as liberation offensive nears.
The Iraqi army said in September its forces recaptured the western coast of Shirqat, located south of Mosul, on the west bank of the Tigris river, after being surrounded for months by Iraqi troops and the pro-government Shi’ite militias. The eastern coast of Shirqat, is still under the IS control.
Pivotal regions that link between each of Diyala, Salahuddin and Kirkuk, are still held by the militants which poses threats to the liberated regions. Iraqi troops are urged to prevent the militants infiltration between Salahuddin and Kirkuk provinces, especially the regions stretching along Hamreen mountains and Al-Azeem town.
The government is expected to launch military offensives at the few remaining IS havens, including in Salahuddin.