Policeman killed in armed attack northern Kirkuk
Masked men while carrying out an armed attack. File photo.
“An unidentified gunman opened fire on a policeman in the middle of Azadi market, north of Kirkuk, which caused his immediate death,” the source told AlSumaria News on Monday.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source added “security troops cordoned off the accident spot and transferred the victim’s body to forensic medicine department. Investigations were conducted.
Security members, paramilitary groups and civilians are targeted by bombings and armed attacks since the Iraqi government launched a wide-scale campaign to retake IS-occupied areas in 2016.
Pivotal regions that link between each of Diyala, Salahuddin and Kirkuk are still held by IS posing threats to the liberated regions. The Iraqi government is expected to aim at the few remaining IS havens in the country, including Kirkuk.
Violence in the country has surged further with the emergence of Islamic State Sunni extremist militants who proclaimed an “Islamic Caliphate” in Iraq and Syria in 2014.
A monthly count by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) said 518 Iraqis were killed and injured during the month of July. Nineveh province was the most affected governorate with 233 casualties, Baghdad came next then Anbar.