Four Islamic State members killed as troops repel attack, north of Salahuddin

Salahuddin (IraqiNews.com) The pro-government paramilitary troops have killed four Islamic State members while repelling an attack, north of Salahuddin, a security source from the province said on Wednesday.

“Troops of al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces) managed, today, to repulse an attack by Islamic State near Sedeira village in Shirqat town, north of Salahuddin,” the source told Almaalomah website. “The forces managed to kill four IS members while thwarting the attack.”

Villages of Shirqat witness attacks every now and then by Islamic State members in an attempt to infiltrate into the region, the source added.

Thousands of Islamic State militants as well as Iraqi civilians were killed since the government campaign, backed by paramilitary troops and the coalition was launched in October 2016 to fight the militant group, which declared a self-styled “caliphate” from Mosul in June 2014.

In December, the Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi announced gaining control on all the territories that were captured by Islamic State, since 2014. However, the group still has dormant cells, through which it carries out attacks, across Iraq like it used to do before 2014.

As many as 3,298 civilians were killed and 4,781 others were wounded in 2017, excluding Anbar civilian casualty figures for November and December, which are not available, UNAMI said in a report in December.

The war against IS has displaced at least five million people.