Iraqi troops destroy 3 Islamic State rest houses in Northern Diyala

Diyala (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi forces have destroyed three rest houses belonging to the Islamic State, northeast of Diyala governorate, according to Dijla Operations Command.

Joint forces of army, police and al-hashd al-shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces) launched a large-scale military operation to track the cells of the IS across al-Saadiya town and nearby towns, Lieutenant General Mazhar al-Ezzawi told Alsumaria News.

“The preliminary results showed that the forces have managed to destroy three rest houses” he added.

The Dijla Operations Command had launched a series of large-scale operations in recent months across Diyala to eliminate IS cells

Early today, an airstrike destroyed a vehicle boarded by Islamic State militants on the borders between Diyala and Salahuddin provinces, killing three on board.

Islamic State members have escalated their attacks against security and civilians over the past months as Iraqi forces were focusing most of their efforts to drive the group out of Mosul, the militants’ former capital which was declared free earlier this month. More than 25000 militants were killed in the Mosul campaign, according to Iraqi generals, including both foreign and local members, while a few thousands remain in other havens in Diyala, Salahuddin, Kirkuk and Anbar which the Iraqi government plans to target with future military offensives.