IS kills seven family members driving home from a wedding in Diyala: Report

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Gunmen believed to be Islamic State (IS) fighters have killed seven members of one family on their way back from a wedding ceremony in the province of Diyala, local and security sources told the media on Friday.

The family was returning home to Baghdad at night from a wedding ceremony they had attended in the district of Buhriz, south of Baquba, when the bus they were traveling in was stopped by IS members, sources told Alghad Press.

According to their account, the militants killed seven males, but left an unspecified number of women and children alive. After being discovered, the corpses were transferred to a medical facility.

The method used by the attackers to kill their victims was not described.

Several officials have recently warned against traveling on the route where the incident occurred, known as the Old Al-Nahrawan Road, which links Baghdad and Diyala.

In a monthly statement released on Sunday, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) said that, in June, 76 Iraqi civilians were killed “in acts of terrorism, violence, and armed conflict” while another 129 were injured by such attacks.

Diyala was the worst affected province, according to the report, with 52 civilian casualties (16 killed, 36 injured). After Diyala came Kirkuk (10 killed, 36 injured) and then the capital of Baghdad (19 killed and 18 injured).

Over the past few days, Iraqi forces have launched a wide-scale military operation against IS in Kirkuk, Diyala, and Salahuddin.

The campaign is named “Revenge of the Martyrs” in honor of the highly-publicized kidnapping and killing of eight security force members in late June.