2 Hashd Shaabi members killed in Daesh/ISIS attacks in Iraq

By Ali Jawad

BAGHDAD (AA) – Two members of the Hashd al-Shaabi militia (Popular Mobilization Forces) were killed on Sunday in attacks by the Daesh/ISIS terror group in northern Iraq's Salahuddin province, according to the Iraqi militia.

Two other members were injured in the attacks that targeted security checkpoints in east of Samarra city in the province, the Hashd al-Shaabi said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi army said Sunday it launched a large-scale military operation against Daesh/ISIS militants in the northern areas of Salahuddin province.

The Hashd al-Shaabi also said in a separate statement that its forces joined the Iraqi army in an operation against the Daesh/ISIS terror group in Baiji district in northern Salahuddin.

On Saturday, an Iraqi army officer was killed in a bomb explosion in Tuz Khurmatu district in the same province.

In the past months, several attacks were reported in Iraq by the Daesh/ISIS terrorists, leaving dozens killed and injured.

In June 2014, the Daesh/ISIS terrorist group captured Mosul, Salahuddin and Anbar provinces and parts of Diyala and Kirkuk, which have been recaptured from the group in late 2017 by the Iraqi forces with support from a US-led coalition.

The Iraqi army continues to carry out frequent operations against the group in these parts where the group has recently in 2020 mobilized its sleeper cells in rural areas.

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara