22 militants of Islamic State killed in Diyala military operation: Commander
Paramilitary fighters and military vehicles are seen during a military operation to retake positions held by Islamic State militants, on the outskirts of Muqdadiyah in Diyala province, north of Baghdad January 25, 2015. Picture taken January 25, 2015. REUTERS
Diyala (IraqiNews.com) – An Iraqi commander said on Wednesday that 22 members of Islamic State group were killed during a wide-scale military operation in Diyala province bordering Iran.
Al-Tahreer News quoted Commander of Diyala Military Operations Mazhar Al-Azzawi as saying in a statement that “Iraqi troops managed to kill 22 IS militants as part of a wide-scale military operation that was launched in Hamrin Mountains in Diyala.”
“The operation also left 24 Islamic State hotbeds destroyed,” added the statement.
According to Al-Azzawi, most IS militants in Hamrin Mountains have been completely eliminated.
In January 2015, Iraqi forces announced liberation of Diyala province from Islamic State extremist militants who proclaimed an “Islamic Caliphate” in Iraq and Syria in 2014.
The province has seen months of fighting between Iraqi troops and IS militants especially in the Jalawla and Saadiyah areas in the province’s north and areas near the town of Muqdadiyah.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared last December final victory over Islamic State three years after the militant group captured about a third of Iraq’s territory.