Three members of pro-Iran group killed by Daesh in Iraq

Three fighters from a pro-Iranian militia were killed in Iraq when Daesh attacked their base near Baghdad, a paramilitary and a security source said.

The men belonged to the Noujaba Movement, a part of the Hashd Al-Shaabi coalition of Shiite militias that mostly back Iran.

Both sources said they were killed in an attack by Daesh on their base in Tarmiya, north of Baghdad, with seven more fighters wounded.

Formed in 2014 to back the Iraqi army in its fight against Daesh militants, the Hashd at the time controlled large swathes of the country but have since been integrated into the armed forces.

In recent months, the anti-American movement has hailed attacks on US interests in Iraq, without claiming responsibility.

Both the US and Israel fear some Hashd units are under Iranian orders rather than the Iraqi chain of command.

Some Daesh cells have remained active even after Iraq declared the jihadist group defeated in 2017, especially in the Tarmiya region and the deserts of northern Iraq.

They have attacked Iraqi security forces as well as the Hashd and other Shiites.

Last month, Daesh claimed responsibility for an attack that killed 30 people at a market in the densely populated Sadr City area of Baghdad.