Iraqi militia launches operation to hunt down Daesh militants

A Shia militia affiliated with the Iraqi military launched a large-scale operation on Sunday to hunt down Daesh militants in eastern Iraq, reported Anadolu Agency.

In a statement, the Hashd al-Shaabi militia said the operation targets Daesh terrorists in the Hamrin Mountains in the eastern Diaal province.

The pro-government militia said the military operation aims to eliminate Daesh presence in the area and end militant attacks against security forces and civilians.

Daesh terrorists have in recent months escalated their attacks, especially in the area between Kirkuk, Salahuddin, and Diyala.

In 2017, Iraq declared victory over Daesh by reclaiming all territories the terrorist group controlled since the summer of 2014, which was estimated to be about a third of the country’s territory.

The group, however, still maintains sleeper cells in large areas in Iraq and occasionally launches sporadic attacks.

Read: Secret US military unit repeatedly killed civilians in campaign against Daesh, report reveals

Earlier this month, Iraq announced the end of the combat mission of the US-led international coalition forces against Daesh. The US has led the coalition since 2014 to fight the terror group, which captured almost one-third of Iraq’s territory in 2014. It was, however, defeated by the Iraqi army, with the help of the US-led coalition, in 2017.