Iraqi court sentences 11 Daesh militants to death

By Amir Alsadi

BAGHDAD (AA) – An Iraqi court on Wednesday sentenced 11 Daesh militants to death for bombing a bridge in the southern Babel province.

In a statement, Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council said the 11 had confessed of being members in the notorious terrorist group.

According to the statement, the militants had bombed a bridge in the province in 2014, killing three soldiers and injuring 19 others.

The militants were tried under Iraq's anti-terrorism act, the council said.

In mid-2014, Daesh overran roughly one-third of Iraq, including the northern city of Mosul.

By late 2017, the Iraqi army -- with the help of the U.S.-led military coalition -- had recovered most if not all the territories lost to the terrorist group.

Although officials in Baghdad say Daesh’s presence in the country has been largely eradicated, the terrorist group has continued to stage sporadic attacks in Iraq's Nineveh, Kirkuk, Diyala, Saladin, and Anbar provinces.

*Bassel Barakat contributed to this report from Ankara