Iraq News Now

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A roadside bomb exploded on a convoy as it was driving through a remote area in Iraq’s disputed Kirkuk province, injuring two Peshmerga fighters and five Coalition members, a Peshmerga source said on Sunday.

Kirkuk is part of territories that are disputed between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Federal Government of Iraq. The area runs along a stretch of land that starts from central-eastern Iraq to the west and ends at the southwestern part of Nineveh province that is a frequent site of attacks carried out by the so-called Islamic State.

The Peshmerga source said an improvised explosive device blew up on their fighters’ convoy during a patrol in the area, injuring seven individuals in total, including two Peshmerga and five members of “the foreign team.”

The Italian military later confirmed that the wounded soldiers belonged to them. It added that US helicopters had evacuated the injured to a Baghdad military hospital, where one of the wounded persons was amputated.

“Our men were training Iraqi security forces engaged in fighting ISIS,” Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said, according to Reuters. He added on Twitter: “I am following the situation with sorrow and apprehension.”

Though it is yet unknown to whom the device belonged, Islamic State militants have previously used such explosives as a retreat tactic.

Although nearly two years have passed since Iraq declared a final victory over the terrorist organization, the group continues to carry out insurgency-style attacks in parts of the country.

Such incidents, including attacks on security forces by the terrorist organization, have been on an uptick in recent weeks after months of relative quiet.

On Sunday, coalition warplanes struck Islamic State positions in Makhmour district, which is also a disputed area located southwest of Erbil province. An Iraqi military statement said the operation had led to the deaths of a “large number of terrorists.”

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany