Eight civilians killed, injured in bomb blasts east, south of Baghdad
Iraqi security forces gather at the site of a bomb attack in the city of Kerbala, Iraq June 9, 2017. REUTERS/Stringer
“A bomb exploded near stores in Kasret Waatash in east of Baghdad, leaving a person killed and five others wounded,” the source told Baghdad Today on Monday.
Moreover, “a bomb targeted police patrol in Arab Jabour region, south of Baghdad, leaving two persons injured,” the source added.
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), which excludes security members deaths, said 297 Iraqis, were killed and injured due to violence and armed conflicts during the month of ِAugust. Baghdad was the most affected province with 45 deaths and 135 injuries.
Baghdad has seen almost daily bombings and armed attacks against security members, paramilitary groups and civilians since the Iraqi government launched a wide-scale campaign to retake IS-occupied areas in 2016. While most of of the explosions and attacks went without a claim of responsibility, Islamic State has claimed several incidents.
According to security observers, even after Islamic State’s main havens across Iraqi provinces are conquered, the group may still constitute a security threat through sleeper cells and lone wolf attacks.