Five Iraqi soldiers killed, four injured in IS ambush

Five Iraqi soldiers have been killed and four others injured in an ambush by Islamic State group militants in Diyala province, northeast of Baghdad, late Tuesday night, security sources said.

The IS militants fired at an army checkpoint near the village of Qara Tabah to the northeast of Diyala province, killing one soldier and injuring another.

Army troops then headed to the checkpoint to investigate and support, but were ambushed by the militants who exploded an IED on their route, killing four more troops and injuring three others.

IS was territorially defeated in Iraq in 2017 but sleeper cells remain active, particularly in the country’s north-central provinces – Nineveh, Diyala, Kirkuk, Salah al-Din, and Anbar.

Four Iraqi police officers were killed in an another attack by IS militants in Salah al-Din province two weeks ago.

The Iraqi army is currently engaged in an operation known as "Strong Will" to clear areas of north-central Iraq of the militants and cease IS attacks.

The commander of the Iraqi army’s ground forces, Major-General Qassim al-Muhammadi, said the army was planning to intensify training for troops and raise fighting capabilities over a three month period, in order to better confront IS.

Diyala province, which borders Iran, is highly unstable and sees frequent violent incidents targeting Iraqi army troops and civilians.

The Iran-backed Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation Forces) militia coalition, which operates with state sanction but independently of the Iraqi government, has a major presence in the province.

It has previously been accused of numerous human rights abuses.