Iraq: Kirkuk blast kills at least 9 police officers 

A bomb blast near the Iraqi city of Kirkuk has killed at least 9 federal police officers and left several others injured today, according to reports citing security sources. According to Iran’s Mehr news agency, the death toll has since risen to 12, including two high-ranking officers.

The blast targeted a police convoy southwest of the oil-rich city, close to the village of Safra which is about 30 kilometres (20 miles) from Kirkuk.

Although there have been no claims of responsibility, it has been speculated that Daesh, which has active cells in northern Iraq, carried out the attack. According to Kurdistan24, numerous improvised explosive devices were allegedly planted by terrorist cells. Following the explosion, police forces and militants exchanged fire, leading to one suspected Daesh militant being killed. A large-scale search operation is currently underway to locate the other militants.

The security situation in the once-contested multi-ethnic city has deteriorated in recent years and has become a hotbed for remnants of Daesh following its territorial defeat in 2017. Last week, four Daesh members were killed in an airstrike carried out by the Iraqi Air Force in the Dibis district of Kirkuk. Separately, an Iraqi army captain was killed and two soldiers injured on Wednesday when a roadside bomb struck their vehicle in the Tarmiya district, some 30 kilometres (20 miles) north of the capital Baghdad.

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