Four Islamic State extremists killed in firefight with Iraqi troops in Anbar
Security forces search a car following a shooting attack in Baghdad
Anbar (Iraqinews.com) – Four suicide attackers were killed Monday in a gunfight with security forces in Anbar as Iraqi troops continue hunting for dormant cells of the Islamic State (IS) group nationwide.
“Security forces repelled an attack launched by three Islamic State militants on a house in Haditha district, west of Anbar,” Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasool, the spokesman for the security media center, told Alghad Press.
“The troops managed to kill the three assailants,” Rasool pointed out.
He further noted that another suicide attacker was killed in an exchange of fire with security forces in Haditha.
Iraq declared victory over Islamic State in December with the help of a US-led alliance, having retaken all the territory captured by the extremists in 2014 and 2015.
The Islamic State group appeared on the international scene in 2014 when it seized large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria, declaring the establishment of an Islamic “caliphate” from Mosul city.
Later on, the group has become notorious for its brutality, including mass killings, abductions and beheadings, prompting the U.S. to lead an international coalition to destroy it.
Despite the group’s crushing defeat at its main havens across Iraq, Islamic State continues to launch sporadic attacks against troops with security reports warning that the militant group still poses a threat against stability in the country.