Child killed, 2 wounded after stun grenade explodes at campaign event in Iraqi refinery town

Baiji, 245 km (150 miles) north of Baghdad, is best known for its oil refinery. (Photo: Reuters)
Baiji, 245 km (150 miles) north of Baghdad, is best known for its oil refinery. (Photo: Reuters)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – One child is being reported killed and two others wounded after an unknown assailant threw a stun grenade at a campaign event in Iraq's central Baiji district, just three days before Sunday's national parliamentary election.

Following the incident, Baiji police said in a statement that initial investigations were not yet conclusive and that the event was an electoral conference for candidate Abdul Rahman al-Bardi.

"An explosion, the nature of which is not yet known, targeted a house near a gathering for a candidate in the elections in the Tamim neighborhood in the city of Baiji in Salah al-Din Governorate," it read. 

According to witnesses quoted in local media, after the attacker or attackers lobbed the grenade during Bardi's speech, it landed on the roof of a nearby house that was under construction and overlooked the event's venue.

The children, said police, were on the roof at the time of impact, but no additional details have yet been publicly released.

Baiji, located 245 km (150 miles) north of Baghdad, is best known for its sizeable oil refinery.

In 2014, Islamic State militants occupied the city of Baiji following their surprise takeover of the northern city of Mosul.

Iraq declared victory over the terrorist group in December 2017, but its followers have since continued to launch regular attacks that have included bombings, kidnappings, and ambushes against Iraqi security forces, Kurdish forces, and civilians.