Bomb blast injures three civilians in northern Baghdad

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) Three civilians were injured on Wednesday due to a bomb blast that occurred north of Baghdad, a security source said.

“A bomb planted on the side of the road near to the commercial stores located behind the market in al-Shaab neighborhood exploded on Wednesday leaving three civilians wounded,” the source told Mawazeen News.

“Security troops cordoned the explosion’s site. The injured were transferred to hospital for treatment,” the source added.

Violence in the country left nearly 392 dead and 613 injured, excluding security members, during February, according to United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI). Baghdad was the second most affected province with 120 deaths and 300 injuries, according to the organization’s monthly casualty count. It excludes death toll among security members after Iraqi authorities had asked to get such information exclusively from security commands.

While most of the blasts are not followed by a claim of responsibility, Islamic State militants said they had been behind some bloody explosions and attacks that hit the capital in the past months, leaving casualties among civilians and security troops.

Some observers believe Islamic State have begun to escalate attacks outside the city of Mosul, where the group has been losing ground and personnel since October, so as to relieve pressure by government forces on that front and to divert attention from group losses. They are concerned that the group could, however, shift to a guerrilla-style war and lone wolf attacks after the recapture of Mosul.