ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - One Islamic State (ISIS) member was killed north of Baghdad on Monday during a security operation, state media reported.
The militant was killed as the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) thwarted an “infiltration attempt” by ISIS in Tarmiyah district, located about 50 kilometers north of the capital, the force told state media.
Both civilians and security forces are vulnerable to ISIS attacks in Tarmiyah. Locals say the militant group regularly extorts the population and uses the area as a launchpad to target the nearby capital.
Four soldiers were killed in an IED explosion in the district in May. A security source blamed the attack on the terror group.
Iraqi forces launch frequent operations targeting ISIS remnants in the area. Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi announced a new security operation last month.
ISIS seized control of swathes of Iraq in 2014. The group was declared territorially defeated in Iraq in 2017 but remains a threat, carrying out bombings, hit-and-run attacks, and abductions across several provinces.
The PMF also thwarted an ISIS “terrorist plot” in al-Hussainiya village, southwest of Mosul, according to state media.
The force found explosive devices but were demolished before they were detonated.
The PMF is an umbrella network largely made up of Shiite militia groups that was formed in 2014 in response to a fatwa issued by Iraq’s most senior Shiite cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, urging young Iraqis to take up arms against ISIS.
In the latest edition of its weekly propaganda magazine al-Nabaa, ISIS claimed it carried out 6 attacks in Iraq from September 17 to 23, killing and injuring 11 people.
