At least eight killed in suspected ISIS attack in Diyala

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A suspected ISIS attack in a rural area of Diyala province on Monday night killed at least eight people and wounded three others, according to local officials.

The deadly attack took place in Al-Bubali village in Diyala’s Khalis district at 8:30 PM (local time), according to Uday Al-Khadran, the mayor of the town, speaking to the Iraqi state media.

A group of “terrorists” riding motorcycles attacked the village, the official said.  Unarmed nearby villagers rushed to the scene to fight back the offensive.

As a result of the 30-minute-long skirmish between the civilians and militants, at least eight people were killed while three others were wounded, including one in critical condition, he added.

Al-Khadran noted that the remnants of the terror group had been present in the area before.

A top military delegation arrived in the province early on Tuesday to investigate the matter, according to the Defense Ministry.

This is the second deadly attack to be carried out by ISIS in less than a week. On Sunday, an Iraqi federal police unit in southern Kirkuk was ambushed and at least nine members of the force were killed.

Although ISIS has been territorially defeated, it still carries out low-level insurgency, particularly in the disputed territories between Erbil and Baghdad.  

In another bloody attack in Diyala’s Sharaban (Muqdadiya) town last year, 15 civilians were killed in the attack.