Iraqi army regains control of Diyala from ISIL

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) Iraq's Ministry of Defence said on Monday that it has regained control of Diyala Province from Islamic State (ISIL) militants, thus freeing the huge region adjacent to the capital, Baghdad, in the northwest from the clutches of the group.

This came after Iraqi ground troops managed to free two villages in the Northern Muqdadiya district, which were the only two remaining areas under the group's control, according to a ministry statement.

With Diyala Province totally freed from ISIL, the army now have the task of cleaning up any lingering landmines or explosive-ambushed homes, the statement added.

Diyala is the first province in Iraq to be freed from the grasp of the highly-organised insurgent group, which controls as much as one-third of Iraq's territory, including its second largest city, Mosul, which it occupied in June, 2013.