Islamic State militants killed at least 12 Iraqi policemen and injured several others in an overnight attack on a checkpoint near the city of Kirkuk, amid concerns that the group is expanding its attacks into Iraq and Syria. Is.
Police officials said rebels using pickup trucks attacked the checkpoint in the Rashad district early Sunday, and improvised explosive devices, or improvised explosive devices, on the side of the road leading to the police position to slow down any support from security forces. Keep the IED. An official said the encounter lasted for several hours before the police force retreated after reaching the area.
Three policemen died of IEDs. In a separate attack on Sunday morning in Nineveh province, Islamic State militants attacked an army post, killing three soldiers, while militants attacked a police patrol in Diyalla province, north of Baghdad, police said. While several security personnel were injured.
Kirkuk Governor Raqan al-Jabouri called an emergency meeting of Iraq’s National Security Council to improve and coordinate the military response to the Islamic State threat in the region.
Although Islamic State attacks are common in Kirkuk province, it was the largest and bloodiest so far this year. Since being defeated in 2017 the group has switched to ambush and kill-off attacks against government posts and patrols, raising concerns that it is attempting to expand its influence. The group also claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing carried out by it allied with Afghanistan in Kabul on 26 August, at the height of the Western airlift attempt that killed nearly 200 people.
Last Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron raised concerns about the resurgence of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria during a visit to the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan.
In July, Islamic State claimed responsibility for a bombing that killed 30 people in the al-Wohelat market in the city of Sadr, a predominantly Shia region of Baghdad.
There are currently about 3,500 coalition forces in Iraq, of which about 2,500 are US forces. Washington is reducing its military presence in the country as Iran-backed militias intensify attacks on its airports and other facilities. From next year onwards, the US role will be limited to training and advising Iraqi troops.
This story has been published without modification to the text from a wire agency feed
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