Forces launch campaign in Rutba killing dozens of extremists

Iraqi military source revealed that dozens of extremists were killed and their camps were destroyed and petrol stations were burned in an expanded military campaign northwest of the province of al-Rutba in Anbar province. Meanwhile, the US Central Command revealed that ISIS extremist militants launched an attack targeting a military base near Kirkuk where U.S military advisers are existed.

Two Kurdish fighters and five Islamic State members were killed Sunday in an attack by the extremist group on the K-1 military base, northeast of Kirkuk. Shafaaq news website quoted an officer at Asayish, Kurdistan’s police force, saying that two security members were killed and six others were wounded. He added that three Islamic State members were killed by the security troops while two others blew themselves up at the base.

Kurdish fighters have been actively engaged in Iraq’s U.S.-backed military campaign against Islamic State militants since its launch in October 2014. The campaign has so far cleared most of Islamic State’s major stronghold of Mosul, and further campaigns are planned later to retake other group havens.

Islamic State has stepped attacks against civilians and security members across Iraq, which observers believe is aimed at making up for losses in Mosul and distract assaulting security forces.

Iraqi commanders say Islamic State currently controls less than seven percent of Iraqi territories. One military official was recently quoted saying the group could be entirely eliminated from its biggest stronghold, Mosul, this May. The group has lost hundreds of its senior leaders since the beginning of military offensives.

In the same context, Four people were wounded Sunday when bomb blasts hit areas in east and south of Baghdad, according to police sources. According to a police source, an explosive device planted near a road in Jisr Diyala region, east of the capital, exploded, wounding one woman.

Another bomb, according to the source, exploded next to a road in Arab Jubour, al-Doura, south of Baghdad, wounding three others.

Violence and armed conflicts claimed the lives of 317 Iraqis and caused injuries to 403 others during the month of April, according to a monthly United Nations count.

According to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI), Nineveh, where U.S.-backed Iraqi government troops are caught up in battles against Islamic State militants in Mosul since October, was the most affected governorate, with 276 casualties (153 killed, 123 injured). Baghdad governorate followed with 55 killed and 179 injured. Salahuddin came third, with 15 killed and 43 injured.

While several blasts were not followed by a claim of responsibility, Islamic State militants said they had been behind some bloody explosions and attacks that hit the capital in the past months, leaving casualties among civilians and security troops.

On the other hand, Four Islamic State militants were killed during clashes that erupted near Rutba district, southwestern Kirkuk, according to a local source.

“Armed clashes occurred on Saturday between IS fighters of Hawija and other militants from Diyala province,” the source said. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source added that “the clashes occurred after an IS leader from Diyala killed an IS member from Hawija.”

The clashes left four members killed. East Dijla Operations Command declared last week that operations to be launched soon to drive ISIS militants out of Hawija. Dozens of residents from Hawija and the regions in its vicinity escape to Kirkuk province on a daily basis. Despite the risky routes to the freed regions, the civilians prefer death to staying under IS control.