Islamic State ambushes Iraqi Shiite-led force, killing 27
Islamic State militants have ambushed a group of Iraq’s Shiite-led paramilitary fighters, killing at least 27.
The Popular Mobilization Forces, an umbrella group of mostly Shiite militias, said on Monday that the attack took place the previous night in the Saadounya area, southwest of the northern city of Kirkuk, when the paramilitaries were conducting overnight raids.
The PMF said the attackers were disguised in army uniforms. It said clashes lasted for at least two hours and that some of the militants were killed while others fled the area.
Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasool, a spokesman for Iraqi military, blamed Islamic State “sleeper cells” and said Iraqi forces were searching the area to find the perpetrators.
Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement on its Aamaq news agency.
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