Four Islamic State members, including suicide attacker, killed in airstrike in Diyala

Diyala (IraqiNews.com) Four Islamic State members, including a suicide attacker, were killed in an airstrike, northeast of Baquba, Diyala province, the media service of the pro-government paramilitary troops reported on Sunday.

“Troops of the 23rd brigade of al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces) and the Iraqi military, backed by army jets, managed on Sunday to kill four Islamic State members, including a suicide bomber in Udhaim town.”

The troops, according to the statement, “destroyed four rest houses and two vehicles there.”

Last week, an Islamic State leader and three of his companions were arrested in an operation carried out in al-Tabj region, east of Diyala. Also, the Diyala Operations Command said troops managed to arrest a leader from Islamic State’s so-called Kirkuk State, while he was attempting to sneak via the borders of the province through Jabbara region, northeast of Diyala.

Islamic State continues to launch sporadic attacks across Iraq against troops. Security reports indicate that the militant group still poses threat against stability in the country. The group still has dormant cells, through which it carries out attacks, across Iraq like it used to do before 2014.

Thousands of Islamic State militants as well as Iraqi civilians were killed since the government campaign, backed by paramilitary troops and the coalition was launched in October 2016.