Iraq
Iraqi security forces detonate an explosive device during a search operation in Tarmiyah, north of Baghdad, on July 23, 2019. Photo: Hadi Mizban/AP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A member of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi) was killed and others injured after being struck by an IED blast in Iraq’s Diyala province, a security source said on Sunday.
“At 21:40 on Saturday, an improvised explosive device exploded near one of the points belonging to the Hashd al-Ashairi volunteers in the village of Daoud al-Salem within Khan Bani Saad city in Diyala province,” Iraq’s Security Media Cell said in a statement.
When security forces went to investigate the site, another IED exploded, “leading to the death of one person,” the statement added.
Four other tribal fighters suffered “minor injuries” due to the blast.
The Sunni tribal militia force, known as Hashd al-Ashairi, mostly come from Anbar, Nineveh, and Salahaddin provinces. They technically fall under the command of the Shiite-led and Iran-backed PMF.
Traditionally Sunni areas of northern and western Iraq were hit hardest during the years-long conflict with the Islamic State (ISIS) and pockets of the group remain active.
It is unclear if the IED was left behind by ISIS cells.
ISIS seized control of swathes of Iraqi territory during a brazen offensive in 2014 but it was declared territorially defeated in 2017 when its so-called caliphate in the country fell as Iraqi and Kurdish fighters, supported by a US-led international coalition, claimed back lands lost to the jihadists.
Despite its territorial defeat, the group has continued to pose a serious security threat to the country through hit-and-run attacks, bombings, and abductions in several provinces, particularly in areas disputed between the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), which stretch across several provinces including Diyala, Salahaddin, and Kirkuk.
“At 21:40 on Saturday, an improvised explosive device exploded near one of the points belonging to the Hashd al-Ashairi volunteers in the village of Daoud al-Salem within Khan Bani Saad city in Diyala province,” Iraq’s Security Media Cell said in a statement.
When security forces went to investigate the site, another IED exploded, “leading to the death of one person,” the statement added.
Four other tribal fighters suffered “minor injuries” due to the blast.
The Sunni tribal militia force, known as Hashd al-Ashairi, mostly come from Anbar, Nineveh, and Salahaddin provinces. They technically fall under the command of the Shiite-led and Iran-backed PMF.
Traditionally Sunni areas of northern and western Iraq were hit hardest during the years-long conflict with the Islamic State (ISIS) and pockets of the group remain active.
It is unclear if the IED was left behind by ISIS cells.
ISIS seized control of swathes of Iraqi territory during a brazen offensive in 2014 but it was declared territorially defeated in 2017 when its so-called caliphate in the country fell as Iraqi and Kurdish fighters, supported by a US-led international coalition, claimed back lands lost to the jihadists.
Despite its territorial defeat, the group has continued to pose a serious security threat to the country through hit-and-run attacks, bombings, and abductions in several provinces, particularly in areas disputed between the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), which stretch across several provinces including Diyala, Salahaddin, and Kirkuk.
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