Iraqi troops kill four Islamic State terrorists in ancient city of Hit
Anbar (IraqiNews.com) – Iraqi authorities announced on Saturday the murder of four Islamic State militants during a clampdown in the ancient city of Hit in Anbar province.
“Al-Jazeera forces managed during a preemptive security operation to kill four terrorists inside a cave in western Hit,” the Dijlah TV channel quoted the Iraqi Security Media Center as saying in a statement.
According to the statement, the security forces launched a manhunt in Hit district in search of other IS terrorists.
IS chief Baghdadi purportedly killed eight followers in Iraq, say sources
Anbar (IraqiNews.com) – Security forces found on Sunday bodies of eight Islamic State militants believed to be killed by the terrorist group’s chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Iraqi authorities said.
“The bodies were found shot in the head in the area between Haditha and Hit districts in Anbar,” security sources told Shafaq News website.
The sources noted that the militants are believed to be on the hit list issued by al-Baghdadi two weeks ago.
Iraqi intelligence reports earlier claimed that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi issued an order to kill hundreds of his followers, including leading figures, in Iraq and Syria over their disloyalty to the group.
The reports came at a critical time as the extremist group lost about 90% of the territory it controlled in Iraq and Syria in 2014, when it declared its “caliphate”.
Intelligence sources said that the world’s most wanted man “issued an order to kill 320 of his followers for their betrayal of the so-called Islamic State and their recklessness, a matter which inflicted heavy losses on the group in both Iraq and Syria.”
According to the sources, there are high-profile commanders on Baghdadi’s list, including Abu al-Baraa al-Ansari, Sief al-Din al-Iraqi, Abu Otham al-Tal Afari, Abu Iman al-Mowahed and Marawan Hadid al-Suri.