3 Iraqis killed while fleeing Daesh-held Mosul

Three members of the same family were killed and five others injured in a bomb explosion south of Mosul in northern Iraq.

The blast struck as the victims were trying to flee the Daesh-held city, army officer Mohammed al-Bayyati told Anadolu Agency.

“Two women and a four-year old child were killed and five other family members injured in the bombing,” he said.

According to al-Bayyati, the victims had been forcibly displaced by Daesh terrorists from their homes in al-Houd village, south of Mosul.

The village was recaptured by Iraqi forces earlier this week as part of a major anti-Daesh offensive to recapture Mosul from the terrorist group.

“The victims were trying to return to their homes in the village when the explosion struck,” al-Bayyati said.

Last week, the Iraqi army, backed by US-led coalition airstrikes, launched a much-anticipated offensive to retake Mosul, the last Daesh stronghold in northern Iraq.