Iraqi troops killed six ISIS militants in Mousl

Iraqi troops killed six Islamic State militants in a security campaign launched in southeast of Mosul on Tuesday, Anadolu Agency reported.

“The federal investigations and intelligence agency submitted information to the National Security Agency over presence of six out of 20 militants, who previously infiltrated into Mosul, are there at a residential house in al-Shaimaa region, southeast of the city,” Cap. Mohamed Atwan al-Ghanimi, of the agency, said.

“Joint troops of the agency and the army’s elite Counter-Terrorism Service headed toward the target after drawing accurate plan,” he added.

Troops, according to Ghanimi, urged the militants to turn in themselves. However, they rejected and started confrontations. The snipers began with opening fire against the militants from several directions.

“In less than 10 minutes, all the militants were attacked. No casualties were reported among troops and civilians,” Atwan said.

Efforts are made to look for the rest of the militants, after information showed they sneaked toward the center of the city from desert regions, according to the officer.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi declared in July victory over IS militants who had held the second largest Iraqi city since 2014. More than 25,000 Islamic State militants were killed throughout the campaign.

Iraqi forces, backed by a U.S.-led coalition and paramilitary troops, have been fighting since October 2016 to retake territories Islamic State had occupied.

Earlier this month, Abadi announced full liberation of Iraqi lands, declaring end of war against IS members. The declaration came after Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir Yarallah, commander of Upper Euphrates and Jazirah Combing Operations, announced liberation of all Iraqi lands from IS.

In the same context, Three Iraqi soldiers were wounded as a rocket fired from Syria targeted their patrol in western Anbar, a security source from the province said on Wednesday.

“Three Iraqi soldiers were injured at the Iraqi-Syrian borders, near Qaim, after their patrol was targeted,” the source told Alghad Press. “The patrol was targeted by a rocket fired from Syrian lands.”

Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi announced, earlier this month, full liberation of Iraqi lands, declaring end of war against IS members.

In November, Abadi said his country has defeated Islamic State over the military level, but will declare final victory after desert areas are purged of militants. Earlier in the month, Iraqi forces recaptured Anbar’s western town of Rawa, the very last bastion under Islamic State control.

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 total of 117 Iraqi civilians were killed and another 264 injured, excluding police, in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict in Iraq in November, according to casualty figures recorded by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).

Baghdad was the worst affected Governorate, with 201 civilian casualties (51 killed, 150 injured). Salahuddin Governorate followed, with 24 killed and 60 injured, and Kirkuk had 12 killed and 28 injured.

Iraqi forces, backed by a U.S.-led coalition and paramilitary troops, have been fighting since October 2016 to retake territories Islamic State had occupied.

Kurdish forces have launched a wide-scale arrest campaign in Sulaymaniyah to silence demonstrators, who have taken to the streets since Monday in protest at delayed salary payments and poor services.

“Kurdish troops have been heavily deployed at Halabja, Chamchamal, Ranya and Koysinjaq towns in Sulaymaniyah governorate, and have already arrested scores of civilians there,” Alsumaria News quoted Kurdish media outlets as saying.

“There is a heavy security presence in central Sulaymaniyah in particular,” it added. Meanwhile, a well-informed source told Alghad Press that the Kurdish authorities have cut off internet services in Sulaymaniyah.

Internet service providers Korek Telecom and Fastlink have received orders from the Kurdish security to shut down the internet in Sulaymaniyah in the wee hours of Wednesday, the source said.

The Iraqi Kurdistan region has been witnessing a sweeping wave of protests since Monday as demonstrators took to the streets to protest against the austerity policy, recently adopted by the Kurdish government.

The Baghdad-based Iraqi government had vowed to send salaries of Kurdish public employees following a political crisis and a later military standoff that resulted from the referendum the autonomous Kurdistan region held in September for secession from Iraq.

The Iraqi government had adopted penal measures against the Kurdish authorities following the poll, including a ban on financial transactions.

The issues of employees payments and the region’s share in the national budget had always been a subject of dispute between Baghdad and Erbil governments.