Unknown gunmen shoot Iraqi soldier dead in Diyala province
Security forces defend their headquarters against attacks by Islamic State during sand storm in Ramadi. (AP Photo)
Diyala (IraqiNews.com) – An Iraqi soldier was killed Tuesday in an armed attack near his house in the eastern province of Diyala, a security source was quoted as saying.
“Unknown gunmen opened fire at a soldier near his house in al-Katoon area, west of Diyala’s provincial capital Baqubah, leaving him dead,” the source told Baghdad Today news website.
“The soldier was on leave when he was shot dead by the attackers,” the source said, adding that a probe was opened into the shooting incident.
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 five 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.