Iraqi forces clash with Daesh near Mosul; 8 dead

By Ahmed Qassem and Mohamed Walid

BAGHDAD

An Iraqi soldier and seven Daesh terrorists were killed Tuesday when fighting erupted south of Iraq’s northern city of Mosul, an official security source said.

Hisham al-Sarraf, head of the Interior Ministry's rapid-reaction force, said that at dawn Tuesday gunmen had converged from outlying areas on the village of Sheikh Younis south of Mosul.

Shortly afterward, he said, Iraqi security forces -- backed by pro-government Sunni tribesmen -- arrived at the scene, triggering clashes between the two sides.

At least one soldier was killed and three others injured in the exchange, al-Sarraf said.

“Meanwhile, at least seven terrorists were killed and three of their vehicles seized,” he added.

Late last year, officials in Baghdad declared that Daesh's military presence in Iraq had been all but destroyed.

The notorious terrorist group, however, still appears to maintain "sleeper cells" in several parts of the country.