SULAIMANI (ESTA) — An improvised explosive device (IED) bomb explosion killed at least 8 members of the Iraqi Federal Police on Sunday in the disputed Kirkuk province.
The bomb blast targeted a convoy of Federal police in the southwestern province, specifically Riyadh sub-district of Kirkuk.
Iraqi reports blamed the Islamic State (ISIS) militants for the bombing.
In the meantime, following the blast clash erupted between the militants of the terrorist group and the targeted convoy of the federal police, said Esta reporter, likening the scenes to an ambush by the terrorists.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al Sudani has directed a dedicated committee to initiate investigations into the incident, according to the Iraqi News Agency (INA).
ISIS seized control of swathes of Iraqi territory in 2014. The group was declared territorially defeated in 2017 but some of its members still roam and continue to destabilize the country’s security.
The group’s remnants are particularly active in the so-known disputed areas between the Kurdish and Iraqi governments, stretching across several provinces including Kirkuk, Salahaddin, and Diyala.
Last Wednesday, a roadside explosion claimed by ISIS hit a patrol of the Iraqi army in Al-Tarmiya district, north of Baghdad, leaving three killed.
