Explosion in Iraq kills worker for British demining organization, wounds 2 more

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – One employee of a British demining organization was killed and two others injured on Thursday as a result of an explosive device left by the Islamic State detonating in the northern Iraqi province of Nineveh.

Iraqi security sources confirmed that it was set off by a team of the Mines Advisory Group (MAG), which specializes in removing landmines and other explosives.

The sources explained that it exploded while the team was working to remove deadly remnants of war near the village of Qabak in the al-Ayadiyah sub-district of Tal Afar.

They also noted that all three casualties were sustained by Iraqi nationals working for the British organization.

Large swaths of territory the Islamic State once held in Iraq still contain multiple kinds of explosive ordinance, including hidden booby traps.

Iraq declared victory over the terrorist organization in late 2017 but still faces challenges in clearing areas seized by the group of mines and explosives. It has also created issues for displaced Iraqis who cannot return home in compromised areas due to the danger posed by the explosives. 

In the past few months, members of the extremist group have carried out a series of terrorist attacks on both Peshmerga and Iraqi forces in such areas in or near other disputed territories, killing dozens and also kidnapping civilians by setting up fake security checkpoints.

Editing by John J. Catherine