Iraq: Hashd al-Shaabi, Daesh clash near Mosul

By Ahmed Qassem and Sarhad Shakir

NINEVEH, Iraq (AA) – Clashes erupted between pro-government Shia fighters and Daesh militants near Iraq’s northern Mosul city on Wednesday, amid reports of casualties, according to an Iraqi military officer.

The violence broke out after Daesh militants attacked security checkpoints manned by members of the Hashd al-Shaabi militia in Jaf al-Khail town, south-west of Mosul, Capt. Kaylan Abdul Aziz told Anadolu Agency.

He said fatalities were reported in the clashes, but without giving an exact toll.

Abdul Aziz said five fighters were evacuated from the scene of the clashes, describing their injuries as “serious”.

Last December, officials in Baghdad had declared that Daesh’s military presence in Iraq had been all but dismantled. However, it appears that the notorious terrorist group still maintains a network of “sleeper cells” in several parts of the country.