IS no longer a threat, says Iraq PM
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said that the Islamic State (IS) militant group no longer poses a threat to Iraq and dialogue to end the US-led international coalition to fight the IS group continues.
At least 13 people were killed and 45 others injured in an attack carried out by the Islamic State (IS) terror group on a funeral procession and a nearby checkpoint in Iraq’s Salahudin province, a police source said on Saturday.
The attack took place on Friday evening when the IS militants attacked a funeral tent in the village of Albu Jily near the town of Yathrib, some 80 km north of Baghdad, the source told Xinhua.
The IS militants also attacked a nearby checkpoint in the village, al-Bazi said, adding that three policemen were among the killed.
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The security forces sealed off the scene as reinforcement troops arrived in the area, he added.
A medical source from Balad Hospital told Xinhua that they received 13 bodies with bullet wounds, while 45 wounded others were admitted for treatment, some of them in critical condition.
A brief statement by the Iraqi Joint Operations Command confirmed the attack, adding that details were to be released later.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity said the attack had been perpetrated by the Daesh group.
The military said it will provide details once an investigation is complete.
Salahudin Provincial Governor Ammar al-Jaber condemned the deadly attack in a statement, stressing the security forces will launch an investigation into the incident to bring the perpetrators to justice.
During the past months, the terror group have intensified their attacks on the Iraqi security forces in the province the militants previously controlled, leaving dozens dead and wounded.
Northern Iraq has been a hotspot for Daesh activity since their territorial defeat in 2017 by Iraqi security forces with assistance from the US-led coalition. Iraqi forces routinely carry out anti-Daesh operations in the rugged mountainous northern region and the deserts of western Iraq where they are known to be holed up.
Daesh attacks have abated in recent years but continue in these areas where security forces are often the target of ambushes, raids and IEDs.
At times, Daesh has managed to launch attacks in the capital. At least 36 people were killed on July 19 in a suicide bombing in the Baghdad suburb of Sadr City. The attack was claimed by Daesh.
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