Explosion on Kirkuk-Baghdad road as IS sleeper cells increase activity in the area

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – A car bomb explosion on Kirkuk-Baghdad road near Khurmatu leaves six people wounded as Islamic State (IS) sleeper cells increase their activities in the area.
Ahmed Faruq, the Director of Khurmatu Asaiysh [Kurdish security force]told Kurdistan 24 on Thursday that a car bomb parked in front of a restaurant on a main road between Khurmatu and Sleman Beg, southern Kirkuk, exploded wounding six people. 
Faruq said that the attack might have been perpetrated by IS sleeper cells in the area. 
However, no group has yet claimed the responsibility of the attack. 
Hassan Baram, a Kurdish official in Khurmatu, told Kurdistan 24 that due to the IS extremists’ increased activities in the southern Kirkuk areas, such attacks by IS sleeper cells was expected, stating that local security and the Peshmerga forces have taken all measures to prevent similar attacks.
In southern Kirkuk near Daquq, attacked the Peshmerga forces resulted in the injury of two Peshmerga. But the Peshmerga forces repelled the attack.