Iraq: Iraqi forces repel attack by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants in Samarra
Iraqi forces in the city of Samarra have foiled an effort by a notorious al-Qaeda-link terrorist group to wage an attack on one of the holiest sites of Shia Muslims.
A group of Takfiri militants affiliated with the terrorist group that calls itself “the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant” (ISIL) launched a major attack from several directions on the holy city on Thursday.
The city, which is nearly 120 kilometers north of Baghdad, is home to the holy shrines of two Shia Imams and a major pilgrimage site visited by tens of millions of Muslims annually despite the tense security situation in the area.
Clashes erupted between the ISIL militants and Iraqi security forces responsible for protecting the holy site, which has previously been targeted by a number of terrorist bombing attacks.