Iraqi soldier killed, over a dozen wounded in explosions northeast of Diyala

The incidents occurred in rural parts of Diyala province, where ISIS terrorists have long been active.

Mustafa Shilani 2021/12/27 19:40

Iraqi forces search the area in Tarmiyah, 35 kilometres (20 miles) north of Baghdad following clashes with Islamic State group fighters, Feb. 20, 2021. (Photo: Ahmad al-Rubaye/AFP)

Iraq Iraq ISIS Diyala Disputed Terrftories

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Two explosions in Diyala province led to the killing or wounding of 15 Iraqi soldiers, security sources said on Monday.

One of the bombings took place near a village in the Hamrin Lake area south of the town of Qara-Tapa, killing one soldier and wounding eight others, a security source told Kurdistan 24. Another source said that a second explosion injured six soldiers patrolling the same area early Monday.

The Hamrin region has recently witnessed a series of ISIS attacks against Iraqi security forces. On Monday, the military launched counterterrorism operations in the area. Parts of Diyala province are among territories disputed between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the federal government of Iraq.

ISIS terrorists have been using Diyala province's mountainous areas to regroup and launch attacks against security forces and civilians since losing all the territory they controlled in Iraq in 2017.

Members of the terror group have exploited the lack of coordination between the Kurdistan Region Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi Army in the disputed territories between Erbil and Baghdad.