Iraqi paramilitary forces killed three suicide bombers before carrying out an attack in Salahuddin province, a media official was quoted saying on Tuesday. Muhannad al-Ezzawi, media officer at al-Salam Corps said in a statement that the force, assisted by a number of civilians, killed three Islamic State suicide bombers late Monday before they could stage an attack against nightclubs in the town of Balad, 130 kilometers south of Tikrit, the province’s capital.
Fighters besieged the militants in the area, to which they responded with mortar firing, according to Ezzawi. On Monday, al-Salam Corps said it foiled an attempt by IS to detonate electricity pylons in al-Ishaqi island in Salahuddin. Al-Salam Coprs is the military wing of popular Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s movement.
Islamic State members have escalated their attacks against security forces and civilians inside Salahuddin and on the province’s borders with neighboring Diyala since Iraqi forces launched offensives to retake the group’s holdouts in Mosul in October 2016.
The group’s influence in Iraq is currently shrinking, with Iraqi government troops having recaptured Mosul, their former capital, Tal Afar, their last Nineveh stronghold and preparing to aim at other havens in Kirkuk, Anbar and Salahuddin.
In the same context, Fifteen Islamic State militants were killed in airstrikes between Salahuddin and Diyala provinces, a security source said on Tuesday. “Army jets launched airstrikes on IS havens in al-Mayta and al-Boujumaa villages in Mutaibija,” the source told Baghdad Today.
The shelling, according to the source, “left four rest houses and five vehicles destroyed. More than fifteen members were killed.” Iraqi jets carried out similar air raids targeting IS convoy and a rest house in Mutaibija, making these attacks the third in two days.
Occasional attacks have been witnessed in Mutaibija by Islamic State against government and paramilitary troops deployments since Iraqi forces, backed by a U.S.-led coalition and PMUs, launched a major offensive to retake areas occupied by IS since 2014.
Pivotal regions that link between each of Diyala, Salahuddin and Kirkuk, are still held by the militants which poses threats to the liberated regions. Iraqi troops are urged to prevent the militants infiltration between Salahuddin and Kirkuk provinces, especially the regions stretching along Hamreen mountains and Al-Azeem town. It’s expected that the Iraqi government will head towards liberating other IS strongholds across Iraq, including in Salahuddin.
On the other hand, Six persons were killed and injured in two blasts in north and west of Baghdad, a security source was quoted saying. “An IED exploded near a market in Khan Dhari in Abu Ghraib region, west of Baghdad, leaving a civilian killed and four others wounded,” the source told Baghdad Today on Tuesday.
“Another bomb targeted an army patrol in al-Houra village in Tarmiyah, north of Baghdad, leaving one conscript injured,” the source said. Ambulances transferred the wounded to hospital and the victim to forensic medicine department, the source said.
On Monday, six civilians were wounded as an IED blast occurred near a market in al-Dawanem region in southwestern Baghdad. Violence in the country has surged further with the emergence of Islamic State Sunni extremist militants who proclaimed an “Islamic Caliphate” in Iraq and Syria in 2014.
A monthly count by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI), which excludes security members deaths, said 297 Iraqis, were killed and injured due to violence and armed conflicts during the month of ِAugust. Baghdad was the most affected province with 45 deaths and 135 injuries.
Baghdad has seen almost daily bombings and armed attacks against security members, paramilitary groups and civilians since the Iraqi government launched a wide-scale campaign to retake IS-occupied areas in 2016. While most of of the explosions and attacks went without a claim of responsibility, Islamic State has claimed several incidents.
On the political side, many experts believe that the Iran took serious steps during the recent period to contain the repercussions of the split of Iraqi leader from the Iraqi Supreme Council, as Iran’s Chairman of Iran's Expediency Council Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi visited the country on Monday.
During the meeting, Hakim emphasized promoting bilateral relations between Iran and Iraq. Both sides also reviewed the latest political and security developments of the region. Hakim appreciated Iran's major role in supporting Iraq in fighting Takfiri terrorist group ISIS.
He also referred to unity and integrity as main conditions for maintaining peace and stability in the country. Meanwhile, Shahroudi congratulated the recent victories in Iraq. He underscored Iran's support for Iraq in fighting terrorism and in reconstruction of that country.