Iraqi troops seize 25 bombs, 39 mortar shells left by Islamic State in Baghdad

Baghdad (Iraqinews.com) – Security forces have seized a huge amount of explosive devices and mortar shells that were left by the defeated Islamic State group in different areas in Baghdad, a military command was quoted as saying Wednesday.

“Troops of the Baghdad Operations Command have found 25 bombs, a locally-made rocket and 39 mortar shells during military operations in the north, west and south of Baghdad,” the command said in a statement, quoted by Alghad Press.

“The explosive charges, left over by Islamic State, were detonated at the scene with no casualties reported,” the statement read.

“Our security forces will keep launching military operations on a daily basis to track down Islamic State cells and purge all Iraqi territories from their remnants,” the statement 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 its monthly release, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) said a total of 69 civilians, excluding police personnel, were killed, while 142 others were wounded in December due to acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict across the country.

The worst affected province was Baghdad with 122 civilian casualties (24 killed, 98 injured). Salahuddin ranked the second place, with 7 killed and 25 injured, then Kirkuk came third with 15 killed and 6 injured.

The figures saw a significant decline from November’s which reached a total of 117 Iraqi civilians killed and another 264 injured.