IS executioner killed in eastern Iraq

BAGHDAD -- A wanted militant of the extremist Islamic State (IS) group, who had executed dozens of people, was killed in a bomb explosion in Iraq's eastern province of Diyala, a provincial official said on Wednesday.

Abu Yaqoub, known as al-Sayaf, or Swordsman, was killed and two of his aides were wounded when a bomb detonated inside their hideout at a village near the border between the provinces of Diyala and Salahudin, Sadiq al-Husseini, head of security committee of Diyala's Provincial Council, told Xinhua.

Husseini said that Abu Yaqoub is one of Diyala residents and is one of the most important wanted criminals as he had killed dozens of security members and civilians since 2014.

Despite repeated military operations in the Diyala province, remnants of IS militants are still hiding near the border with Iran and in the sprawling areas extending from the western part of the province to the Himreen mountainous area in north of Baquba, some 65 km northeast of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

On Dec 9, 2017, the former Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi officially declared full liberation of Iraq from the IS extremist group.

However, small groups of IS militants have since regrouped to carry out attacks against security forces and civilians despite the military operations from time to time to hunt them down.