ISIS terrorists ambush at another fake checkpoint leaves five Iraqi soldiers dead

An ambush by Islamic State (IS) extremists on Thursday killed at least five Iraqi security forces in the northern city of Mosul, a local security source said.

According to Captain Saif al-Din al-Shammari of Iraq’s border security force, a group of gunmen from the extremist group set up a fake checkpoint on the road linking Mosul and the Tal Afar district where they disguised themselves as security personnel.

“The terrorists tricked five soldiers who had been on their way home, killing them all and stealing their weapons and vehicles,” Shammari was quoted as saying by Anadolu Agency.

He added that the assailants had escaped, fleeing the scene immediately.

Shammari said Iraqi forces had discovered the bodies of the murdered security units on the road 65 kilometers (40 miles) west of Mosul.

A string of attacks involving fake security checkpoints has recently been claimed by IS, as military officials prepare for a crackdown on the terror group’s remaining presence in the country.

On Tuesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi admitted the war against IS was ongoing, contradicting his “final victory” announcement last December against the group.

Abadi also said he is ready to coordinate with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in disputed territories outside of the KRG’s administration.

He noted that the conflict between Baghdad and Erbil following Kurdistan’s independence referendum had caused a “security vacuum” which needed to be filled.

“We are creating security cells under the leadership of the federal government’s Counter Terrorism Forces with the participation of security forces from the Kurdistan Region to fill the security vacuum,” Abadi said.

Source: Kurdistan 24