Iraqi Interior Ministry official, daughter wounded in suspected IS car bomb attack

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack yet, but the Islamic State (IS) has taken the blame for similar incidents in the past.

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – An Iraqi Interior Ministry official was wounded by a bomb planted in a car while he was traveling on a road in central Kirkuk Province, a local security source told Kurdistan 24 on Saturday.

According to the source, the explosion which occurred in Kirkuk’s Baghdad Road Neighborhood also wounded the official’s daughter who was in the vehicle with him.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack yet, but the Islamic State (IS) has taken the blame for similar incidents in the past.

Iraqi security forces on the road in an undated photograph. (Photo: AFP)
Iraqi security forces on the road in an undated photograph. (Photo: AFP)

Recently, a string of attacks involving fake security checkpoints has been claimed by IS, as military officials prepare for a crackdown on the terror group’s remaining presence in the country.

An ambush by extremists on Thursday killed at least five Iraqi security forces in the northern city of Mosul, Captain Saif al-Din al-Shammari of Iraq’s border security force said.

According to Shammari, a group of IS gunmen set up a fake checkpoint on the road linking Mosul and the Tal Afar district where they disguised themselves as security personnel.

Last week, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi admitted the war against IS was ongoing, contradicting his “final victory” announcement last December against the group.

Abadi also said he is ready to coordinate with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in disputed territories outside of the KRG’s administration.

He noted that the conflict between Baghdad and Erbil following Kurdistan’s independence referendum had caused a “security vacuum” which needed to be filled.

“We are creating security cells under the leadership of the federal government’s Counter Terrorism Forces with the participation of security forces from the Kurdistan Region to fill the security vacuum,” Abadi said.