Iraqi forces destroy 10 Islamic State hotbeds in Diyala
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) – Iraqi troops destroyed 10 hotbeds of Islamic State during a wide-scale military operation in Diyala province, a security source said on Tuesday.
Speaking to Baghdad Today website, the source said that a military operation was launched on Monday to hunt down the remnants of the Islamic State extremist militants in Hamrin Basin, 55 kilometers northeast of Baqubah.
According to the source, the operation resulted in destroying 10 IS hideouts and detonating seven explosive charges.
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.
The surge in violence between armed groups and government forces has resulted in over five million internally displaced persons across Iraq and left more than 11 million in need of humanitarian assistance, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.