Explosion targets Iraqi forces in disputed Kirkuk
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Four Iraqi Federal Police personnel were wounded on Tuesday in an explosion targeting their patrol in a remote area south of Kirkuk.
An improvised explosive device (IED) targeted the Iraqi forces as they conducted a sweeping operation in Wadi Zaghitoun, located southwest of Kirkuk, a security source explained to Kurdistan 24.
The source added that the bombing severely damaged a military vehicle and wounded four police officers, two in serious condition.
Though no party immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, ISIS often targets Iraqi forces in these areas, territories disputed between Erbil and Baghdad.
Kurdish officials have repeatedly warned the terror group takes advantage of a "security vacuum" in the disputed territories to regroup, plan, and carry out assaults on nearby communities and security forces.
Related Article: UN Security Council condemns ISIS attack in Diyala that killed 11
Two days ago, a similar explosion killed four Iraqi soldiers in the nearby Wadi al-Shay area, just a few days after another ISIS attack in a rural area in Diyala province left 11 soldiers dead.
The deadly assault in Diyala came around the same time as dozens of the terrorist organization's members attacked a northeast Syrian prison holding ISIS detainees in what has been described as their most sophisticated operation since losing all their territorial holdings in the country in 2019.