Road side IS bomb kills one, injures three Peshmerga in southern Kirkuk

KIRKUK, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – A Peshmerga was martyred and three others wounded in southern Kirkuk’s Daquq town after a booby-trap planted by the Islamic State (IS) detonated, said a Peshmerga Commander on Sunday.

The militant group controls some desert areas in the vicinity of Daquq and Hawija city located in the southwest of Kirkuk.

A Peshmerga Commander told Kurdistan 24 the bomb targeted a Kakayi battalion vehicle which operates in the area under the umbrella of Peshmerga forces.

“The bomb martyred a Peshmerga, and wounded three more,” he said, stating the incident took place in the Tal Hamadi village in Daquq.

Kakayi villages are located near the Peshmerga and IS front lines where some remain under the control of the extremist group.

In the past months, Peshmerga have often been attacked by the militant group in the south of the province.

Many of the attacks were carried out using Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

Kirkuk officials, including Governor Najmaldin Karim, have repeatedly emphasized the presence of IS in Hawija and southern Kirkuk poses a serious threat to the security of Kirkuk.

Officials in Kirkuk have also called on the Federal Government of Iraq to accelerate its plan for the military operation to liberate the area.

IS recently lost Mosul, their de facto capital and major stronghold in Iraq, as Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory against the group in the city on July 10.

The militants still control some cities in Iraq including Tal Afar where an offensive by Iraqi forces to liberate the area is imminent.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany

(Additional reporting by Hemin Dalo)