Daesh back in Iraq: Attack kills 10 Daesh-hunting fighters

At least 10 Hashd al-Shaabi paramilitary fighters were killed Saturday in an attack by Daesh in Iraq, reported Anadolu Agency.

The terror group attacked Salahuddin province’s Mikeishifa and Balad regions, according to Hashd al-Shaabi, who said the injured were referred to local hospitals.

A predominantly Shia fighting force, Iraq’s Hashd al-Shaabi, also known as the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), was formed in 2014 to fight the terror group. They played a crucial role in defeating Daesh, which occupied a large swath of territory in Iraq and Syria between 2014 and 2017.

Hashd al-Shaabi was formally incorporated in 2017 into the Iraqi army and later that year officials in Baghdad declared the military presence of Daesh in Iraq was all but destroyed. But Daesh still has a presence in rural areas of Anbar, Diyala, Kirkuk, Salahuddin, and Mosul.

“The Popular mobilisation forces and security forces have killed and wounded a number of ISIL [Daesh] fighters after being exposed to significant attacks on Balad and Mekeeshfah south of Tikrit,” the Hashd al-Shaabi said in a statement later on Saturday.

“The Hashd also lost 10 members, while several others were wounded in clashes between the two sides,” it said, adding that its forces had managed to push back Daesh after the arrival of air and land reinforcements in the area.

The army continues to carry out frequent operations against the terror group’s lingering presence in parts of the country.

Read: Daesh re-imposes itself in Iraq with mobile groups