Large explosion rocks Kirkuk, casualties reported

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – An explosion on Wednesday night rocked a district in Kirkuk with reports of casualties.

Sources in Kirkuk said the blast occurred on the road between the Tiseen and al-Khadhra neighborhoods, targeting a Shia Muslim shrine in the area.

It is unclear if the religious shrine was the target or the headquarters of the Dawa Party which is also located near the site of the explosion.

Said al-Badr, the spokesperson for the Iraqi Health Ministry, said the blast injured three people who were taken to the hospital for treatment.

No side has claimed responsibility for the attack. 

On Tuesday, an explosion caused by a roadside bomb on the outskirts of Iraq’s oil-rich city of Kirkuk killed two and injured 14 more riding on a minibus transporting federal police.

Although no one has claimed responsibility for the incidents, Iraqi authorities point fingers to Islamic State (IS) sleeper cells which often carry out small-scale attacks, especially in the Kirkuk and Diyala provinces.

Despite Iraq’s declaration of a full victory over IS, the militant group continues to carry out insurgency-style attacks in several provinces in Iraq including in areas disputed between the Kurdistan Region and Baghdad.

Iraqi security forces are a frequent target of such attacks.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany

(Additional reporting by Kurdistan 24 correspondent in Kirkuk, Hemin Dalo)