Iraq: 3 soldiers killed by bombing in Kirkuk

Three Iraqi soldiers were killed on Friday by a bombing targeting a military patrol vehicle that was passing through the northern Governorate of Kirkuk.

Kirkuk military operations commander, Lieutenant General Saad Harbiyeh, announced in a statement to Anadolu Agency that a bombing targeted a military patrol vehicle that was passing near the town of Sarkaran in the Dibis District, northwest of the governorate.

Harbiyeh indicated that terrorist group Daesh had detonated a bomb, which they had earlier placed on the road, while the army vehicle was passing through.

He explained that the bombing killed three soldiers and injured two others, and that Daesh fighters subsequently launched an operation in the area.

Read: Iraq launches military operation against Daesh remnants

The attacks of Daesh fighters have increased in the past few months, especially in the region between the governorates of Kirkuk, Saladin (north) and Diyala (east), known as the “Triangle of Death”.

In 2017, Iraq declared victory over Daesh by reclaiming all of its territory, which was estimated to be about a third of the country’s area invaded by the group in the summer of 2014. However, the group still maintains idle cells in large areas of Iraq and continues to launch attacks.