IS on alert in Salahuddin after military commander disappears
Islamic State militants. File photo.
A local source in the province told Alsumaria News that the extremist group had put its members on alert in Mutaibija, a region on the borders with Diyala, after the “military emir” and four of his companions disappeared. They were touring some group rest houses before vanishing, according to the source.
Mutaibija is one restive region on the borders between Diyala and Salahuddin which security sources have counted as a constant threat, but the source said IS had lost many of its leaders in that region in ambushes by security forces and allied al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units).
Since the Iraqi government launched a U.S.-backed offensive in mid October to retake Mosul from Islamic State, the extremist group has sustained severe losses in personnel and ground. It has also bee stricken with divisions and infighting, with reports of attempted dissent and executions of delinquent fighters growing.
Recent reports have said that the idea of dishonoring the pledge of allegiance to the group’s supreme leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, have become on the table as Baghdadi’s whereabouts or survival proved to be questionable.