2 Iraqi soldiers die from mine attacks at Mekheisa village
Diyala (IraqiNews.com) Two Iraqi military soldiers were killed and six others were wounded on Sunday when several IEDs exploded during a security search northeast of Baqubah, an official in Diyala province said.
Awwad al-Rubaie, a member of the security committee at Diyala province, said the casualties belonged to the military battalion of the Iraqi army. He said the servicemen were combing farmlands at Mekheisa village, a militancy hotspot.
Nobody claimed responsibility for the explosions, but Islamic State militants have claimed several bombings and armed attacks against Iraqi civilians and security personnel since the extremist group took over several Iraqi cities in 2014.
The extremist group is currently sustaining losses in personnel and ground in face of Iraqi security forces which, backed by U.S.-led international troops and local paramilitaries, have been fighting IS out of the city of Mosul, the group’s largest bastion in Iraq. Further operations are expected to liberate other Iraqi provinces after the recapture of Mosul, a half of which is now under government troops’ control.
Observers believe that even after IS is beaten out of Mosul, the formerly-proclaimed capital of its so-called “Islamic Caliphate”, the group will still constitute a security threat, with a possibility of shifting to hit-and-run war style.
2 Iraqi militia wounded in mine attacks in Wadi Abu Sakhol area
Diyala (IraqiNews.com) A local source in Diyala Province revealed that two members of al-Hashd al-Shaabi were injured by the explosion of an improvised explosive device, northeast of the province, Alsumaria News reported on Sunday.
The source said, “An improvised explosive device, emplaced on the roadside in Wadi Abu Sakhol area exploded, at noon today, near a joint forces’ patrol, wounding a soldier and a fighter of al-Hashd al-Shaabi.”
“The wounded were transferred to a nearby medical center,” the source added on condition of anonymity.
Noteworthy, Islamic State group and other extremist groups are usually attacking security patrols in the different areas of Diyala.
Iraqi forces find ISIS tunnels near Hamrin Lake
Diyala (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi joint security forces discovered a tunnel and four premises belonging to the Islamic State, including the main premises of the group in Hamrin Lake, northeast of Baqubah, Head of Muqdadiyah District Council stated on Sunday.
Adnan Tamimi said in a press statement, “Today, joint security forces, backed by al-Hashd al-Shaabi carried out extensive search operations in the northern part of Hamrin Lake, and were able to discover four premises belonging to the Islamic State, as well as dismantling eight explosive devices.”
“One of the premises was attached to a 50-meter-long tunnel,” Tamimi explained.
“The operations were conducted based on accurate intelligence information,” he said. “The majority of premises included logistic materials, food, blankets and explosives,” Tamimi further added. 
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