Nine Iraqi Officers Killed In Suspected IS Attack: Police Sources
Faizan Hashmi Published December 18, 2022 | 08:10 PM
Kirkuk, Iraq, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Dec, 2022 ) :Gunmen in northern Iraq where remnants of the Islamic State group are active blew up a vehicle carrying policeman before opening fire killing nine, police sources said Sunday.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, one of the deadliest in Iraq in recent months.
The bomb blast in the Kirkuk area hit a vehicle transporting members of Iraq's Federal police.
It was followed by "a direct attack with small arms" near the village of Shalal al-Matar, a federal police officer told AFP on condition of anonymity, attributing the assault to IS.
"An assailant has been killed and we are looking for the others," the officer said.
Two policemen initially reported as being wounded later died, bringing the total killed to nine.
IS jihadists seized large swathes of Iraqi and Syrian territory in 2014, declaring a "caliphate" where they ruled with brutality before their defeat in late 2017 by Iraqi forces backed by a US-led military coalition.
IS lost its last Syrian bastion, near the Iraqi border, in 2019.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani condemned the violence as a "cowardly terrorist attack".
Security forces should show "vigilance, carefully inspect the roads and not provide any opportunity for terrorist elements", he said.
- Sleeper cells - The US-led anti-IS coalition continued a combat role in Iraq until December last year, but roughly 2,500 American soldiers remain in the country to assist in the fight against the jihadists.
IS cells, however, remain active in several areas of Iraq.
On Wednesday, three Iraqi soldiers were killed and three others injured when a bomb exploded as their patrol vehicle passed through farmland in Tarmiya, a rural municipality located about 30 kilometres (20 miles) north of the capital Baghdad.
There was no immediate claim for the bombing in a known hotspot of IS sleeper cells.
Last month a machine gun attack on a remote northern Iraqi military post killed four soldiers near Kirkuk, a military source said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Iraqi security forces continue to carry out counter-terrorism operations against the group, and the deaths of IS fighters in airstrikes and raids are regularly announced.
Despite the setbacks, which has left IS a shadow of its former self, the group has "maintained its ability to launch attacks at a steady pace", a January report by the United Nations read.
The UN estimates the jihadist organisation maintains between 6,000 and 10,000 fighters inside Iraq and Syria, exploiting the porous border between the two countries and concentrating mainly in rural areas.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
WASA launches comprehensive campaign to test quality of water
Food Authority team conducts operation in Jackson market harbor area
KCP Captain Shahzaib Rind calls on Balochistan CM
PNCA to organize folk, classical & Sufi dance performances on Int'l Dance Day
Chief Minister Gilgit Baltistan Haji Gulbar Khan calls on Minister for Privatis ..
Germany nudges up growth forecast, ailing economy at 'turning point'
USC to hold ‘E-Kachehry' on April 25 (tomorrow)
Punjab Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department Minister Khawaja Imran Nazir ..
Kewell's Yokohama beat Ulsan to reach Asian Champions League final
DC directs to implement fixed prices of Naan,Tandoori Roti
Revised UAF budget recommended
Hajj permits start for domestic pilgrims in Saudi Arabia
More Stories From Miscellaneous
-
PDMA predicts gusty wind, rain with thunder, hails
1 day ago -
Iranian president Raisi given guard of honour at PM House
2 days ago -
Intellectuals, writers accolades Naseer Mirza on his literary contribution
3 days ago -
Bahawalpur Adabi Sangat hosts memorable mushaira
3 days ago -
Cattle farming vital to alleviate poverty in rural areas
3 days ago -
Pakistan: A land of tourism, archeological wonders
3 days ago
-
Transforming education sector: from job hunters to job creators
5 days ago -
Amjad Bobby remembered on 19th death anniversary for timeless contributions to music
9 days ago -
Legendary actor Nadeem’s 26 films released on Eid-ul-Fitr days in 50 years
10 days ago -
Besant Hall Cultural Centre to celebrate evening with Sanam Marvi on 26 April
10 days ago -
Radio Bahawalpur presents program “Eidi Shidi”
13 days ago -
Radio Bahawalpur to broadcast Eid programs
15 days ago