Politics

Three wounded in suspected IS bombing north of Baghdad

A bomb exploded in a town north of Baghdad, wounding three residents, according to a security source who spoke to the media. The attack is thought to be part of an upward trend in violent activity by the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq.

John J. Catherine 2018/04/05 11:00

middle east Iraq Baghdad IS

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) - A bomb exploded in a town north of Baghdad, wounding three residents, according to a security source who spoke to the media. The attack is thought to be part of an upward trend in violent activity by the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq.

The incident occurred in Tarmiyah, located 60 kilometers north of Baghdad. Those injured, explained the source, were "passing by" the site at the time of the blast. The intended target or targets of the bombing is not known.

“Security services rushed to the scene, while ambulances transferred the wounded to the hospital for treatment,” he said.

Despite their military defeat in Iraq and Syria, IS continues to carry out various guerrilla-style attacks including random bombings, ambushes, assassinations, and kidnappings—reminiscent of IS’ old tactics following their emergence in mid-2014.

A string of fake checkpoint attacks claimed by IS last month killed over 50 security forces and civilians, mainly on the road between Baghdad and Kirkuk.

In recent days, Islamic State (IS) militants have re-pledged their allegiance to the extremist group’s leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in statements posted to their social media pages.

The statements are believed to be the first public pledge of loyalty to Baghdadi since the so-called “caliphate” in Syria and Iraq collapsed last year.

“To infuriate and terrorize the infidels, we renew our pledge of loyalty to the commander of the faithful and the caliph of the Muslims, the mujahid sheikh Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi al Hussaini al-Quraishi may God preserve him,” the militants said in a statement posted to their accounts.

The number of civilians killed in Iraq increased in March compared to the previous month, with a total of 104 Iraqi civilians killed and another 177 injured, according to casualty figures reported this week by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).

Baghdad was the worst affected Governorate in Iraq with 124 civilian casualties (33 people were killed, and 91 others wounded).