Iraqi forces thwart suspected ISIS attack in Diyala

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi forces foiled two suspected Islamic State (ISIS) attacks in northeastern Iraq, state media reported early Monday, as the terror group continues to pose a threat to the country's security.

Alleged ISIS militants launched an offense on the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi in Arabic) in Sayed Bahloul area in Khanaqin’s Hamrin district, “damaging a thermal camera” before the force confronted the fighters, the Iraqi news agency said.

The PMF also thwarted another assault near al-Sad residential compound in the Hamrin district, injuring two ISIS militants.

ISIS seized control of swathes of Iraqi land in 2014. The group was declared territorially defeated in 2017 but it continues to carry out bombings, hit-and-run attacks, and abductions across several provinces.

The recent offense comes amid Iraq’s ongoing Solid Will operation, which aims to eliminate ISIS from its west. Around 12,000 PMF fighters alongside several other forces have partaken in the operation.

Two ISIS suspects were killed on the third day of the operation, Security Media Cell said in a tweet on Monday.

ISIS remnants are particularly active in parts of northern Iraq that are disputed by Erbil and Baghdad, including in the provinces of Kirkuk, Diyala, and Salahaddin.

Five alleged prominent ISIS members were arrested across several provinces on Saturday, with multiple stockpiles of equipment seized.

In its propaganda magazine on Thursday, ISIS claimed to have conducted 28 attacks in Iraq from April 14 to April 20, killing and injuring 51 people.