One dead, seven injured after two separate bomb blasts in Baghdad

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – At least one civilian was killed and seven others wounded in two separate bomb blasts in northern and southern Baghdad, a security source said on Wednesday.

The blasts in both the north and south of the Iraqi capital were caused by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), the security official told local Iraqi media.

“One person was killed while two others were injured as an IED, placed near a wholesale store in the al-Hamamiyat village in the Taji region, north of Baghdad, went off,” the source said.

“Five others were injured due to a blast caused by a bomb placed near a market in the al-Mahmoudiya region, south of Baghdad,” the security official added.

Since the 2014 emergence of the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq, violence has increased significantly in the country.

According to a monthly statistics report by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI), 297 Iraqis were killed and injured due to violence and armed conflict in August.

Baghdad was the most affected province in the country with a total of 45 deaths and 135 injuries reported.

The Iraqi capital has been the target of regular terror attacks since government forces launched a military campaign against IS in 2016.

With Mosul and Tal Afar recently liberated from the militant group, Iraqi forces have turned their attention to recapturing Hawija, one of IS’ last remaining strongholds in the country.

Kurdish officials in the province of Kirkuk have been calling on the Baghdad government to prioritize the liberation of Hawija, located in the south of Kirkuk.

Kirkuk Governor Najmaldin Karim previously warned the town had become a harbor for IS extremists and poses a security threat to civilians.

Editing by Ava Homa