Iraqi troops kill senior Islamic State leader in Baghdad

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Iraqi troops killed on Tuesday a senior Islamic State leader during a security campaign in Baghdad, the Interior Ministry said.

“A special force of the Samara Operations Command managed to kill a terrorist during a security operation in northwestern the Dhuluiya airport, north of Baghdad,” IKH News quoted the Security Media Center as saying in a statement.

The troops, according to the statement, “found three bombs, explosive materials and a gun with the slain terrorist.”

The Iraqi capital has seen almost daily bombings and armed attacks against security members, paramilitary troops and civilians since the Iraqi government launched a wide-scale campaign to retake Islamic State-occupied areas in 2016. Though most of the daily bombings go without a claim of responsibility, Islamic State is thought to be behind many.

Iraq declared victory over Islamic State in December 2017 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 security forces and civilians across Iraq.