IED explosion kills at least three Iraqi soldiers near Sinjar

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – An improvised explosive device (IED) blew up on a group of Iraqi soldiers in the Yezidi-majority Sinjar district of Nineveh province, local media reported. The bombing killed at least nine people, one official claimed.

The explosion took place as a team of Iraqi soldiers attempted to defuse an IED in the Sharia area, which administratively belongs to Sinjar district.

“At least nine people were killed in the explosion,” Sinjar mayor Mahma Khalil told Kurdistan 24, adding that eight of the dead were soldiers and the other was a civilian.

The soldiers were part of the engineering department of the Iraqi army, according to the mayor, adding that one of the casualties was a lieutenant colonel. Following the incident, the victims were transported to the Tal Afar Hospital, the official said.

Medical sources said that the healthcare facility had received two wounded Iraqi soldiers and noted that there were seven deaths. The Iraqi defense ministry only reported that three soldiers were killed.

The IED is suspected to be among explosives that members of the so-called Islamic State left behind after taking control of the area in 2014.

Sinjar is a disputed territory between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Iraqi Federal government. Despite each side claiming the land, the two governments recently struck a deal to manage the Yezidi district’s administrative and security matters.

Read More: KRG and Baghdad reach administrative, security agreement on Sinjar

Notably, the agreement includes understandings to withdraw all armed groups from the area; restore the local administration; and appoint a new mayor.

Editing by Khrush Najari