Eleven Iraqi soldiers were killed in an attack on an Iraqi army headquarters attributed to Daesh at dawn Friday in Diyala province, northeast of Baghdad, a military official in Diyala told AFP, in one of the deadliest attacks in weeks.

In late 2017, Iraq announced its victory over Daesh after expelling the militants from all the major cities they had seized in 2014, while the organization's leader was killed in 2019.

Since then, the organization's attacks in cities have decreased significantly, but the Iraqi forces are still chasing sleeper cells in mountainous areas and in the desert, especially in the governorates of Salah al-Din, Kirkuk and Diyala, where the Friday attack took place, which has not yet been claimed.

The official, who asked not to be identified, said that "11 soldiers, including a lieutenant, were killed in an attack by ISIS militants with various weapons, including light weapons."

It is likely that the organization’s elements “exploited the roughness of the area and the low temperatures” to carry out their attack, which “occurred at about 02:30 am against a headquarters in the Hawi al-Azeem area” located to the north of Baqubah and adjacent to Salah al-Din Governorate, where Daesh cells are still active. 

In an interview with the Iraqi News Agency, Diyala Governor Muthanna Al-Tamimi confirmed the attack, explaining that it targeted "members of the First Division in the Al-Azim area." He considered that the main reason for "the attack (...) is the neglect of the fighters in carrying out their duties, because the headquarters is completely fortified, and there are thermal cameras, night-glasses, and also there is a concrete watchtower."

He explained that "the commander of the First Division is at a high level of responsibility, but the terrorists took advantage of the cold weather and neglect to carry out their duties, to carry out their crime and then withdrew to Salah al-Din."