Paramilitary troops foil Islamic State attempt to sneak into Baghdad
Members of al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces). File photo.
A statement by the media service of al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces) said on Tuesday that troops “carried out a campaign after information indicated attempts by Islamic State to sneak through Jurf al-Nasr region to the northeast of the capital.”
During the operation, according to the statement, “some tunnels, that the militants were going to use during their attempts, were found, in addition to explosives.
Militants usually attempt targeting Jurf al-Nasr region for its strategic location, linking between Baghdad, Babel and Karbala.
In December, the former Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi announced gaining control on all the territories that were captured by Islamic State, since 2014. However, 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.