IS member killed, two others injured in attack against security detachment eastern Shirqat

Salahuddin (IraqiNews.com) Three members of the Islamic State security detachment, located east of Shirqat town, Salahuddin, were killed and injured as an attack was launched by unknown persons, a local source in the province said on Monday.

“One member of a security detachment for IS in Shirqat, north of Salahuddin province, was killed, while two others were wounded as unknown people launched an attack targeting their vehicle on the agricultural road on the outskirts of the town,” the source told Alsumaria News.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source described the attack as ‘the first of its kind’ that targets “one of the most important security detachments” of IS, which “imposed strict measures after the attack and started raiding some areas.”

The eastern coast of Shirqat, which lies on the west bank of the Tigris river in Salaheddin province, is still under the IS control, after liberating the western coast few months ago.

In September, Iraqi army said its forces recaptured the town, located around 80km south of Mosul, after being surrounded for months by Iraqi troops and the pro-government Shi’ite militias.

The Iraqi government is expected to launch more offensives against IS pockets in other Iraqi provinces once it is finished with expelling the militant group from Mosul, where a major campaign has entered a sixth month to retake the city.