Iraqi forces deliver crushing blows to Daesh sleeper cells

Iraqi forces have delivered severe blows to remnants of the Daesh terrorist group in the country, with counter-terrorism efforts by the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) or Hashd al-Sha’abi proving an indispensable asset in the process.

The forces took on the terrorists in the eastern Iraqi Diyala Province, Nineveh and al-Anbar Provinces in the country’s west, and Salahuddin Province that is wedged between them.

Daesh sleeper cell smashed in Diyala

On Sunday, Talib al-Mousavi, the commander of the PMU in Diyala, said the anti-terror force had managed to break apart the largest remaining Daesh network in the province.

He described the operation in Khanaqin District as a preemptive strike that neutralized plans by the terrorists to target civilians in Diyala.

According to the commander, a number of the terrorists were killed and large quantities of armaments and other military equipment were seized during the operation.

Iraq reports fresh victories against Daesh, urges all countries to fight terrorism

Iraq’s foreign ministry reports fresh victories in its fight against terrorism, urging the entire world to counter the grave menace.

Terrorist kingpins nabbed in Mosul

Forces enlisted with the Iraqi Police Directorate security force also arrested two “senior” Daesh members in Nineveh Province.

Reporting the development on Saturday, the Interior Ministry said the operation took place in Zummar District, located 60 kilometers (37 miles) northwest of Mosul, the province’s capital.

Iraqi security forces also neutralized a terrorist cell consisting of 15 Daesh militants throughout Nineveh’s various areas, the National Security Department reported.

Major General Yahya Rasoul, a military spokesman for Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, meanwhile, reported destruction of as many as six Daesh hideouts in al-Anbar.

The operation that recruited the military, the army aviation, the air force, and tribal Hashd forces also led to the discovery and disposal of five explosive devices.

Also on Saturday, an intelligence official revealed that six Daesh terrorists had been arrested in Salahuddin Province’s holy city of Samarra.

Daesh emerged in Iraq in 2014 amid the chaos and ruin that had resulted from the United States invasion of the Arab country.

A bloated US-led coalition began supposedly targeting the terror outfit in Iraq in the same year, but was found to be functioning surprisingly slow in confronting the terrorists.

Daesh soon swept up large swathes of Iraqi territory, prompting Baghdad to solicit its ally Iran’s military advisory assistance. The joint anti-terror push, in which Hashd al-Sha’abi played a crucial role, defeated Daesh in late 2017.

The group’s remnants, however, keep staging sporadic attacks throughout Iraq, mainly in the above provinces.

On Monday, Daesh attacked an army post in Baghdad, killing 11 people, including Hashd’s members, and wounding eight others.

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