Hashd Al Shabi seize ISIS drones and annihilate their hideout in Eastern Iraq

Based on intelligence, troops from the 24th Hashd Shaabi brigade carried out a search operation and reached an island on Lake Himreen in the northeastern capital of Baquba province, Diyala, about 65 km northeast of Baghdad, said Ali al-Tamimi, head of the town hall security committee al-Muqdadiya

Hashd Shaabi found an unmanned aircraft belonging to ISIS and took it to a security site for inspection, al-Tamimi said, adding that ISIS terrorists used the drone during battles against Iraqi security forces.

During the operation, Hashd Shaabi's forces found and destroyed three ISIS hiding places used to store weapons and supplies by terrorists, al-Tamimi added.

Al-Tamimi explained that the island was used by ISIS as a launch pad because terrorists used to carry weapons and equipment from the nearby Himreen mountains to store it in the lake to launch attacks on the town of Sadiya and nearby villages.

Despite numerous military operations in Diyala, remnants of ISIS are still hiding in rugged areas close to the Iran's border, as well as large areas stretching from the western part of Diyala to the mountainous areas of Himreen in the northern part of the province.

The security situation in Iraq dramatically improved after Iraqi security forces completely defeated ISIS terrorists across the country at the end of 2017.

However, ISIS remnants scattered in urban areas or they used desert and rugged areas as a safe place and often carried out sporadic attacks against security forces and civilians.