Death toll from Daesh/ISIS attack in Iraq rises to 15

By Ali Jawad

BAGHDAD (AA) – The death toll from a Daesh/ISIS attack in eastern Iraq has risen to 15, according to a local medical source on Wednesday.

Daesh/ISIS militants had attacked the village al-Rashad in Diyala province with sniper rifles and machine guns Tuesday evening.

The medical source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said 13 other people were injured in the attack.

The Iraqi Defense Ministry earlier said 11 people had been killed in the Daesh/ISIS attack.

The attackers had fled the scene unscathed.

Meanwhile, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi ordered the Iraqi army to step up intelligence gathering to help avert similar attacks.

In recent months, Daesh/ISIS terrorists have escalated their attacks, especially in the area between Kirkuk, Salahuddin, and Diyala, known as the Triangle of Death.

In 2017, Iraq declared victory over Daesh/ISIS by reclaiming all territories the terrorist group controlled since the summer of 2014, about one-third of the country’s territory.

The group, however, still maintains sleeper cells in large areas of Iraq and occasionally launches attacks.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara