Daesh sleeper cells receive crushing blows by Iraqi forces

Iraqi forces deliver heavy blows to remnants of the ISIS terrorist group in the country, with counter-terrorism efforts by the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) or Hashd al-Sha’abi facilitating the process.

The forces faced the Daesh terrorists in the eastern Iraqi Diyala Province, Nineveh and al-Anbar Provinces in the country’s west, and Salahuddin Province that is located between them.

Daesh sleeper cell crushed in Diyala

On Sunday, Talib al-Mousavi, who’s the commander of the PMU in Diyala, stated that the anti-terror force had managed to break apart the largest remaining Daesh network in the province.

He described the operation in Khanaqin District as a preemptive strike that neutralized plans by the terrorists to target civilians in Diyala.

According to the commander, a number of the terrorists were killed and large quantities of armaments and other military equipment were seized during the operation.

Additionally, forces enlisted with the Iraqi Police force arrested two “senior” Daesh members in Nineveh Province.

Reporting the development on Saturday, the Interior Ministry stated that the operation took place in Zummar District, located 60 kilometers (37 miles) northwest of Mosul, the province’s capital.

Iraqi security forces were also able to neutralize a terrorist cell comprised of 15 Daesh terrorists throughout Nineveh’s various regions, the National Security Department reported.

Major General Yahya Rasoul, a military spokesman for Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, meanwhile, announced the destruction of as many as six Daesh hideouts in the al-Anbar region.

The operation which recruited the military, the army aviation, the air force, as well as tribal Hashd forces also led to the discovery and disposal of five explosive devices.

Also on Saturday, an intelligence official announced that six ISIS terrorists had been arrested in Salahuddin Province’s holy city of Samarra.

Daesh appeared in Iraq in 2014 amid the chaos and ruin that had come about as a result of the US invasion of the Arab country.

A bloated US-led coalition started supposedly targeting the terror outfit in Iraq during the same year, yet was found to be functioning surprisingly slow in dealing with the terrorists.

Daesh soon swept up large swathes of Iraqi territory, causing Baghdad to solicit its ally Iran’s military advisory help. The joint anti-terror push, in which Hashd al-Sha’abi played a significant role, defeated Daesh in late 2017.

The group’s remnants, nevertheless, keep staging sporadic attacks throughout Iraq, mainly in the above-mentioned provinces.

On Monday, Daesh attacked an army post in Baghdad, causing the death of 11 people, including Hashd’s members, and wounding eight other people.

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