ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Eleven people were killed in an Islamic State (ISIS) attack on a family in Iraq’s Diyala province late Tuesday, the governor told Rudaw. ISIS militants “ambushed a house near Miqdadiyah district, causing the death of 11 people,” Muthanna al-Tamimi said. Iraqi President Barham Salih said the attack is a “despicable attempt to destabilize the country,” in a tweet following the incident. He added Iraq needs to support its security, close security gaps and “not underestimate the threat of ISIS.” ISIS seized control of swathes of Iraq 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 group said on its Telegram propaganda channels on Tuesday that its militants targeted Sunni fighters of Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi) in Diyala’s Saadiya area the previous day, “killing a fighter and injuring two others.” Additional reporting: Wisam Karim
