BAGHDAD

Eight Sunni civilians were killed by Shia gunmen in an apparent revenge attack in Iraq’s eastern Diyala province on Wednesday, according to a local police officer.

The attack came one day after suspected Daesh/ISIS militants attacked the predominantly Shia village of al-Rashad in Diyala Tuesday evening, killing at least 15 people and injuring 13 others.

"Hundreds of gunmen from the Bani Tamim [Shia] tribe attacked the Sunni village of Al-Imam in response to Tuesday’s attack,” the police officer told Anadolu Agency, requesting anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.

He said a number of houses and farmlands were set on fire during the attack.

In recent months, Daesh/ISIS terrorists have escalated their attacks, especially in the area between Kirkuk, Salahuddin, and Diyala, known as the Triangle of Death.

In 2017, Iraq declared victory over Daesh/ISIS by reclaiming all territories the terrorist group controlled since the summer of 2014, about one-third of the country’s territory.

The group, however, still maintains sleeper cells in large areas of Iraq and occasionally launches attacks.