Unknown gunmen target Judge’s home in Khanaqin as violence, instability on rise

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A bomb attack targeting the home of a local judge in the city of Khanaqin in Diyala is the latest incident in a spike in violence in the disputed territory.

Witnesses told Kurdistan 24 that unidentified gunmen late Wednesday hurled a sound grenade at the house of Judge Khalid in the Ramadhan district of central Khanaqin.

The attack did not result in any casualties but caused significant damage to the judge’s car which was parked on the driveway and the outer wall of his home.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack as an investigation into the incident is underway.

The Kurdish-majority city of Khanaqin, located northeast of Diyala, is one of many contested areas between the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

Soon after the emergence of the so-called Islamic State (IS) in 2014, the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga forces protected Diyala and other disputed territories, including Kirkuk, from attacks by the extremist group.

However, following the Region’s controversial independence referendum last September, Iraqi troops and Shia-dominated militias drove Kurdish forces from Kirkuk, Diyala, and other contested areas.

Since then, the security situation has considerably deteriorated, with IS activities on the rise, including ambushes, kidnappings, suicide attacks, and execution-style killings.

Iraqi forces have been deployed to disputed areas to prepare for a large military operation in the south and west of the provinces to eliminate militants in the area who are posing a grave security threat to the region.

After three years of fighting in the war-torn country, Iraq declared victory against IS last December. However, since then, the extremist group has resumed insurgent attacks, particularly in Kirkuk, Diyala, and Salahuddin.