Cluster bomb wounds six people in Iraq’s Najaf province

Najaf (IraqiNews.com) A cluster bomb explosion wounded six people of the same household in Iraq’s Najaf, media reported quoting security and local witnesses on Friday.

Shafaq News website quoted the source saying a group of shepherds were on a search for truffles in the province’s desert when they ran into explosive ordinance including cluster bombs, and decided to take them back home.

The sources said the the cluster bomb went off at one of the homes and wounded six people. Police denied terrorist motives in the incident.

The United Nations said in February it had cleared more than 45.000 explosive ordnance from all over Iraq, and that the continuation of purging efforts could need at least a decade.

Iraq’s war against Islamic State since 2014 has left Iraqi soil contaminated with thousands of tons of unexploded ordnance and booby-traps. Leftover explosives have occasionally exploded, killing several civilians since Iraqi authorities declared victory over the extremist group last year.