Attacks of the so-called Islamic State (IS, formerly known as ISIS/ISIL) in the Iraqi village of al-Mayah, Diyala governorate, have prompted residents to take up arms alongside the Popular Mobilization Forces, as shown in footage from Thursday.
Civilians reportedly bought weapons with their own money, in response to recent IS attacks which targeted the village of al-Mayah with more than twenty mortar shells and an armed attack.
The Diyala province has reportedly seen months of fighting between Iraqi army and pockets of remaining IS militants. While Iraq declared victory against IS in July 2017, the militant group has since turned into an insurgency carrying out a string of deadly attacks across the country. They lost their final slice of directly-controlled territory in Syria in March this year.