Iraqi troops kill two Islamic State militants in Iraq’s Diyala
Islamic State militants
Diyala (Iraqinews.com) – Iraqi army, backed by paramilitary troops, killed on Thursday two Islamic State (IS) militants and injured four others in Diyala’s Jalawla.
“A force from the 74th division of the Iraqi army killed early today two elements of Islamic State and injured four others at Um al-Hanta village in Jalawla, northeast of Diyala,” Baghdad Today quoted the media service of al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces) as saying in a statement.
The statement did not provide further details about how the militants were killed or injured.
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 Islamic State group appeared on the international scene in 2014 when it seized large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria, declaring the establishment of an Islamic “caliphate” from Mosul city.
Later on, the group has become notorious for its brutality, including mass killings, abductions and beheadings.
Iraq declared victory over Islamic State in December with the help of a US-led alliance, having retaken all the territory captured by the extremists in 2014 and 2015.
Despite the group’s crushing defeat at its main havens across Iraq, Islamic State continues to launch sporadic attacks against troops with security reports warning that the militant group still poses a threat against stability in the country.