Soldier killed, paramilitary personnel injured in IED blast in Diyala
Iraqi security forces inspect the site of a car bomb attack. Archival photo.
A bomb exploded while a joint patrol was passing near Rabie’a village, in the vicinity of Saadiya district, leaving a soldier killed and a member of al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units) injured, al-Furat al-Ikhbari news website quoted a local source from Diyala province as saying.
Violence in the country surged further with the emergence of Islamic State Sunni extremist militants who proclaimed an “Islamic Caliphate” in Iraq and Syria.
According to a monthly count by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI), violence and armed conflicts claimed the lives of 317 Iraqis, and caused injuries to 403 others during the month of April.
The total figure of victims signalled a drop from 1115 victims in March.
Nineveh, where U.S.-backed Iraqi government troops are caught up in battles against Islamic State militants in Mosul since October, came on top of the most affected governorate, with 276 casualties (153 killed, 123 injured). Baghdad Governorate came next with 55 killed and 179 injured. Salahuddin came third, with 15 killed and 43 injured.
IS still holds a few areas in Salahuddin, Diyala, Anbar and Kirkuk, but the Iraqi government, is expected to aim at those strongholds once the Mosul battle is concluded. The group is believed to have begun escalation of attacks outside Mosul, where the group has been losing ground and personnel since October.