Paramilitary personnel slaughtered in ambush by Islamic State, northeast of Baquba
The Islamic State militants. File photo.
Speaking to Baghdad Today website, the source said, “Islamic State members set up an ambush on the sides of Neft Khana road, near Khanqeen, northeast of Baquba.”
The militants, according to the source, “slaughtered one of the personnel of al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces), of the 110th brigade.”
Thousands of IS militants as well as Iraqi civilians were killed since the government campaign, backed by paramilitary troops and the coalition, was launched in October 2016 to fight the militant group.
In December, Abadi announced full liberation of Iraqi lands, declaring end of war against IS members. However, Islamic State continues to launch sporadic attacks across Iraq against troops. Security reports indicate that the militant group still poses threat against stability in the country.
A total of 104 Iraqi civilians and policemen were killed, while 177 others were injured in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict in Iraq in March, according to casualty figures by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).
As many as 3,298 civilians were killed and 4,781 others were wounded in 2017, excluding Anbar civilian casualty figures for November and December, which are not available, UNAMI said in a report in December.