Iraqi soldier, ISIS members killed in clashes in Anbar

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A member of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) was killed and another was injured on Monday in clashes with the Islamic State (ISIS) in Anbar, also resulting in the death of two militants, according to the Iraqi Security Media Cell.

A PMF brigade thwarted an attempted attack by suspected ISIS members in the Akashat area of western Anbar, killing two of the militants in the clashes that ensued. The group’s members came from “the depths of the Iraqi desert,” and launched the attack from four pickup vehicles, according to a statement from the cell. 

The statement added that one fighter from the PMF brigade was killed during the incident, and another was injured. The vehicles fled towards the same location they came from, and are being pursued by the forces.

The media cell also announced that the PMF in Baghdad were able to arrest an ISIS administrative official on Monday, sentencing him to life imprisonment.

In its propaganda magazine on Thursday, ISIS claimed to have conducted 24 attacks in Iraq from April 7 to April 13, killing and injuring 31 people.

ISIS on Sunday vowed to seek “revenge” over the killing of its former leader, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quryishi, and called on supporters to make the most of the war in Ukraine to resume attacks in Europe.

ISIS typically sends messages to followers during Ramadan to garner support.

The group was declared territorially defeated in Iraq and Syria in 2017 and 2019 respectively, but it continues to carry out bombings, hit-and-run attacks, and abductions across several provinces. The terror group’s remnants are particularly active in parts of northern and central Iraq that are disputed between Erbil and Baghdad. In Syria, the terror group continues to launch deadly attacks from the Syrian desert, which extends from Damascus to the Iraqi border.