Iraqi troops kill four Islamic State terrorists in ancient city of Hit
Iraqi security forces. Archival photo.
Anbar (IraqiNews.com) – Iraqi authorities announced on Saturday the murder of four Islamic State militants during a clampdown in the ancient city of Hit in Anbar province.
“Al-Jazeera forces managed during a preemptive security operation to kill four terrorists inside a cave in western Hit,” the Dijlah TV channel quoted the Iraqi Security Media Center as saying in a statement.
According to the statement, the security forces launched a manhunt in Hit district in search of other IS terrorists.
Iraq declared victory over Islamic State last December with the help of a US-led alliance, having retaken all the territory captured by the extremists in 2014 and 2015.
Isolated cells believed to be linked to the Islamic State group remain active in some parts of the country. In recent weeks, suspected Islamic State insurgents have carried out several attacks targeting civilians and security forces across the nation.
A total of 75 Iraqi civilians were killed, while 179 others were injured due to acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict in Iraq in September 2018, according to casualty figures by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).
Baghdad came on top of the worst affected Governorate, with 101 civilian casualties (31 killed, 70 injured), followed by Anbar (15 killed and 37 injured).