Death toll from Daesh attack in Iraq rises to 15

The death toll from a Daesh attack in eastern Iraq has risen to 15, according to a local medical source on Wednesday.

Daesh militants had attacked the village al-Rashad in Diyala province with sniper rifles and machine guns Tuesday evening.

The medical source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said 13 other people were injured in the attack.

The Iraqi Defense Ministry earlier said 11 people had been killed in the Daesh attack.

The attackers had fled the scene unscathed.

Meanwhile, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi ordered the Iraqi army to step up intelligence gathering to help avert similar attacks.

In recent months, Daesh terrorists have escalated their attacks, especially in the area between Kirkuk, Salahuddin, and Diyala, known as the Triangle of Death.

In 2017, Iraq declared victory over Daesh by reclaiming all territories the terrorist group controlled since the summer of 2014, about one-third of the country’s territory.

The group, however, still maintains sleeper cells in large areas of Iraq and occasionally launches attacks.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara