Clashes with Iraqi forces near Sulaymaniyah prison leave militant dead
Security forces defend their headquarters against attacks by Islamic State during sand storm in Ramadi. (AP Photo)
Sulaymaniyah (Iraqinews.com) – Clashes erupted on Monday between militants and counter-terrorism forces near the Chamchamal federal prison in Sulaymaniyah, a security source was quoted as saying.
Speaking to Baghdad Today on Monday, the source said, “The clashes between the two sides near the Baghdad-run prison in Chamchamal left a militant dead and another injured.”
Meanwhile, Ramik Ramazan, the mayor of Chamchamal, said the Iraqi government has agreed with its Kurdish counterpart to “transfer the central prison from Chamchamal to Susey in Sulaymaniyah.”
Kirkuk officials previously urged reinforcing military troops in the south and west of the province, as the region still has Islamic State members who escaped during liberation of Hawija to remote areas.
In October, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared that Iraqi troops recaptured Hawija, a main town held by Islamic State in the country. Iraqi forces, backed by a U.S.-led coalition and paramilitary troops, have been fighting since October 2016 to retake territories Islamic State occupied in 2014.
Kurds voted overwhelmingly to break away from Iraq in a referendum held on Sept. 25, defying the central government in Baghdad as well as neighboring Turkey and Iran who have their own Kurdish minorities.