According to local police
Father, son killed by ‘ISIS fighters’ while fishing in Tuz Khurmatu
TUZ KHURMATU — A father and son who were fishing at Zarga Lake in the Tuz Khurmatu district of Salah Al-Din were fatally shot by ISIS fighters, local officials said on Monday. The father, aged 50, and his son, 24, were residents of the Askari neighborhood in Tuz Khurmatu and frequented the lake to sustain their livelihood.
Hussein Ali, the police chief of Tuz Khurmatu, said, “This morning, a father and son went fishing at Zarga Lake. They intended to catch fish, but were tragically shot and killed by ISIS gunmen.”
The Islamic State, which declared a caliphate after seizing vast territories in Iraq and Syria in 2014, was officially ousted from Iraq in 2017 by Iraqi forces and the Peshmerga, supported by a U.S.-led coalition. However, despite significant military defeats, including losing its final stronghold in Syria in 2019 to U.S.-backed Kurdish forces, remnants of the group continue to pose a threat.
On the anniversary of the Speicher Massacre, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani remarked on the reduced threat from terrorist groups, crediting national security forces with diminishing their presence. “Our heroic security forces have repeatedly defeated them, reducing their gangs to scattered remnants that no longer threaten our nation’s security,” he said.
Despite such declarations, attacks persist. Recent incidents in Salah Al-Din governorate and other regions underscore ongoing challenges. On May 14, an attack killed an army officer and four soldiers. A week later, a vehicle bombing near Suleiman Beg resulted in one death and four injuries. Another attack the following day killed five family members on the Baiji-Haditha Road in Anbar governorate, which officials attribute to newly planted improvised explosive devices.
A United Nations report in January estimated that between 3,000 and 5,000 ISIS fighters remain active across Iraq and Syria, continuing to launch deadly attacks from remote areas.
Iraqi airstrikes kill seven ISIS militants
