Iraqi troops destroy Islamic State hideout, defuse 3 bombs in Baqubah
Islamic State militants. File photo.
Diyala (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi troops destroyed on Thursday an Islamic State hideout and dismantled three bombs east of Baqubah, Diyala, a military commander was quoted saying.
Speaking to AlSumaria News, Commander of Tigris Operations Maj. Gen. Mazhar al-Azzawi said, “A joint Iraqi force managed to destroy a main hideout of IS fighters south of Kanaan city, some 20 km east of Baquba.”
“The underground hotbed was used for storing foodstuffs and explosives,” he said, adding that three nearby explosives were also defused.
Earlier in the day, the Tigris Operations Command announced launching a wide-scale operation to liberate villages south of Kanaan from Islamic State terrorists.
In October, Iraqi troops regained full control on Hamreen mountains that stretch out between Diyala and Kirkuk provinces.
Iraqi troops, backed by a U.S.-led military coalition and paramilitary troops, managed to retake several Islamic State strongholds including Mosul and Tal Afar in Nineveh, Hawija in Kirkuk and Annah in Anbar. Only Anbar’s Rawa currently remain in IS grip.
As many as 114 Iraqi civilians were killed, while 244 others were wounded as result of terrorism, violence and armed conflicts, according to a monthly release by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).