Iraqi security forces repel IS attack, 18 killed

Iraqi security forces repelled an overnight attack by an Islamic State (IS) militant group, leaving at least 18 people killed, a provincial security source said on Sunday.

The attack occurred around midnight on Saturday when dozens of the IS militants, including several suicide bombers, waged an attack on al-Udheim dam in eastern province of Diyala, but were repelled by the Iraqi soldiers and allied Shiite militias after four hours of heavy clashes, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The security forces killed at least 14 IS militants, including their leader, an Arab national known as Abu Mu'ath, in addition to destroying three booby-trapped cars and seizing four vehicles carrying weapons and ammunition, the source said.

Two soldiers and two Shiite militiamen were also killed and 23 others wounded by the clashes, the source added.

In late January, the Iraqi security forces said the troops and allied Shiite militias freed the whole province of Diyala from the IS militants after days of major offensive.

However, Hadi al-Ameri, a leading figure in the powerful Shiite party Badr Organization, said that "individuals from the IS militants are now separately hiding in some orchards and hideouts, but they will be hunted down by the security forces."

Security has deteriorated drastically since June 10, when bloody clashes broke out between Iraqi security forces and Sunni militants, who seized the northern city of Mosul and later swathes of territories in Nineveh and other predominantly Sunni provinces. Endit