IS suicide attack kills six Iraqi soldiers at military base
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DIYALA, Iraq (Kurdistan24) – An Islamic State (IS) suicide attack on Monday killed at least six Iraqi soldiers and injured 15 others at a military base in eastern Iraq.
Five insurgents attacked the Kirkush military base, located east of Balad Ruz in Diyala Province, according to an anonymous Iraqi military official who spoke with The New Arab.
“Two militants were wearing explosive devices and carried out suicide bomb attacks, killing six people,” Falah al-Tamimi, a spokesperson for the Diyala police force, told reporters.
The assault occurred before sunrise after the extremists broke through the fences of the base and entered the camp, Tamimi explained.
Although no group has claimed responsibility for the violence yet, the Diyala police spokesperson said the culprits were identified as IS militants.
A prominent Iraqi army colonel who had served as the commanding officer for the task force 10th battalion was one of the victims killed.
The Iraqi military immediately imposed a curfew on the surrounding area as several low-flying helicopters flew over the local region.
Currently, the Kirkush base serves as a forward base where Iraqi forces regularly conduct missions in the fight against the insurgent group’s outposts.
Meanwhile, US-led coalition jets on Sunday destroyed IS combat vehicles, killing dozens of the insurgent group’s members in western Anbar, according to a military source.
The IS convoy was arriving from Syria to Iraq’s Anbar Province, the military official told Iraqi Alsumaria News.
The Iraqi government has repeatedly stated they will target the extremist group in Anbar once the Mosul operation is complete.