Iraqi forces on Thursday (June 2nd) repelled an attack by the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL) against army positions in Hamrin Mountains to the east of Tikrit, the Iraqi Ministry of Defence said, leaving 21 of the group's gunmen dead.
"Dozens of ISIL terrorists attacked military barracks and bases in Hamrin Mountains at dawn Thursday, but they were repelled with support from coalition warplanes and Iraqi helicopters," ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasul told Al-Shorfa.
Twenty-one ISIL gunmen were killed in the violent battles that ensued, he said, and their vehicles and weapons were destroyed or seized. The remaining elements fled towards the nearby desert.
Three Iraqi soldiers were also killed in the battles, Rasul said.
