Shafaq News/ A local official in Qara tappa, northeast Diyala, called on the security authorities to put an end to the recurrent mortar attacks that target sub-district.

In a statement to Shafaq News Agency, the sub-district administrator, Wasfi al-Tamimi, said, "the shells and projectiles are launched from the rugged areas between Saadiya and Qara Tappa; an area called Shammana that has a complex topography, heavy forests, and abundant marches, which renders it a perfect hideout for ISIS operatives and a launchpad for the artillery attacks they wage every now and then."

"The aforementioned territories can only be cleared via comprehensive campaigns aided with explosives squads," he continued, "the security forces stationed in the sub-district are sparing no effort in spite of the low count of the troops. An army regiment, merely 300-400 fighters of al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces-PMF), and the police formations are not enough to cover 318,000 squared kilometers and definitely cannot halt mortar shellings launched 8 to 10 kilometers from the sub-district."