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SHARQAT, Iraq - The bravery of an elderly Iraqi shepherd has resonated across the country after he was killed in clashes with five Islamic State (ISIS) militants on Saturday night. Before being slain, he had killed three of them and wounded two others.
The incident happened in a remote area 10 kilometers from Tlul Baja village in Sharqat district, Salahaddin province when the ISIS militants attacked Suhail Najm, a 70-year-old farmer.
Najm's confrontation with the ISIS remnants alone has shocked Iraqi officials, local residents, and security forces, even the Iraqi prime minister's representative travelled from Baghdad to attend his funeral.
"Under the command of the prime minister and general commander of the Iraqi armed forces, we came to attend the funeral of hero and innocent martyr Suhail Najm. Our visit to this funeral is to reiterate that martyrs are symbols of this country,” Brigadier General Saad Halaq, representative of the Iraqi Prime Minister, said.
Locals in Sharqat complained that ongoing ISIS presence in Salahaddin province has caused trouble for the people of the area, making them unable to farm freely.
According to military commanders in Salahaddin province, ISIS fighters carry out attacks in groups of five to eight people, saying most of the fighters are known and locals.
The 91st Brigade of the Iraqi army is responsible for protecting part of the borders of Sharqat district. Military commanders acknowledge that ISIS fighters are active in the area.
ISIS seized control of large swathes of Iraqi land in 2014. The group was declared territorially defeated in 2017 but continues to carry out bombings, hit-and-run attacks, and abductions across several provinces.
The militants have taken shelter in a security vacuum in areas disputed between Erbil and Baghdad, stretching across several provinces including Kirkuk, Salahaddin, and Diyala.
The incident happened in a remote area 10 kilometers from Tlul Baja village in Sharqat district, Salahaddin province when the ISIS militants attacked Suhail Najm, a 70-year-old farmer.
Najm's confrontation with the ISIS remnants alone has shocked Iraqi officials, local residents, and security forces, even the Iraqi prime minister's representative travelled from Baghdad to attend his funeral.
"Under the command of the prime minister and general commander of the Iraqi armed forces, we came to attend the funeral of hero and innocent martyr Suhail Najm. Our visit to this funeral is to reiterate that martyrs are symbols of this country,” Brigadier General Saad Halaq, representative of the Iraqi Prime Minister, said.
Locals in Sharqat complained that ongoing ISIS presence in Salahaddin province has caused trouble for the people of the area, making them unable to farm freely.
According to military commanders in Salahaddin province, ISIS fighters carry out attacks in groups of five to eight people, saying most of the fighters are known and locals.
The 91st Brigade of the Iraqi army is responsible for protecting part of the borders of Sharqat district. Military commanders acknowledge that ISIS fighters are active in the area.
ISIS seized control of large swathes of Iraqi land in 2014. The group was declared territorially defeated in 2017 but continues to carry out bombings, hit-and-run attacks, and abductions across several provinces.
The militants have taken shelter in a security vacuum in areas disputed between Erbil and Baghdad, stretching across several provinces including Kirkuk, Salahaddin, and Diyala.
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