BAGHDAD, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- A paramilitary Hashd Shaabi member was killed and two others wounded Monday in an Islamic State (IS) attack in Iraq's central province of Salahudin, a security source said.

The incident took place in the early hours of the day when the extremist militants attacked a position of a Hashd Shaabi force, known as Saraya al-Salam, in the area of al-Zour in east of the city of Samarra, some 120 km north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, Mohammed al-Bazi from the provincial police told Xinhua.

A fierce clash erupted between the extremist IS militants and Saraya al-Salam fighters, resulting in the killing of one of the paramilitary fighters and the wounding of two others, al-Bazi said, adding that the attackers fled the scene after the battle.

A joint reinforcement force from the Iraqi army, police and Hashd Shaabi arrived at the scene and launched a search campaign in the area looking for the attackers, according to al-Bazi.

Saraya al-Salam, or Peace Companies, is a militia affiliated with Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and part of Hashd Shaabi forces.

The security situation in Iraq was dramatically improved after Iraqi security forces fully defeated the extremist IS militants across the country late in 2017.

IS remnants, however, have since melted in urban areas or resorted to deserts and rugged areas as safe havens, carrying out frequent hit-and-run attacks against security forces and civilians. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)