Suspected ISIS gunmen kill, wound dozens at funeral in Iraq's Salahuddin

Members of the security forces reportedly deployed to the area to pursue the assailants.

Mohammed Kerim 2021/07/30 23:56

Balad hospital in Iraq's Salahuddin province after a suspected terrorist attack targeted a funeral service, killing at least six civilians on July 30, 2021. (Photo: Social Media)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Suspected ISIS members opened fire on a large crowd at a funeral service in rural parts of Iraq's Salahuddin province, killing at least six people and wounding over a dozen others, one security source said.

The "terrorist attack" occurred at the Albu Jeeli area of Yathrib district, Salahuddin province, said the Security Media Cell, Iraq's military communications center. It added that further details would come later.

Clashes were still ongoing as reports claimed ISIS members killed at least six people. One security source told Kurdistan 24 that about 23 civilians at the service were also wounded in the assault.

Members of the local security forces reportedly deployed to the area to pursue the militants.

ISIS remains active in areas contested between the Iraqi government and autonomous Kurdistan Region and has carried out attacks on soldiers despite frequent Iraqi military operations.

The terrorist organization has recently mounted attacks on civilians and security forces alike. In one incident in the capital of Baghdad, a suicide bomber killed more than 30 people in a popular market.

On July 18, four Iraqi soldiers were killed in an attack on their camp by suspected ISIS militants in disputed Kirkuk province.

A Peshmerga Ministry official warned recently that the threat posed by ISIS was on the rise in Kirkuk and other areas.