Explosion injures 13 people, soldiers who were defusing bomb in Fallujah
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Iraqi security and medical sources on Tuesday reported that a bomb blast which Iraqi soldiers had attempted to defuse in Fallujah injured 13 people.
The incident occurred in the southern neighborhood of Nuaimiya located in the outskirts of the city, west of Baghdad, a source told Kurdistan 24. The source said one of the wounded was in serious condition.
Sources from the hospital that received the injured persons said there were 13 people so far.
Nuaimiya was among the areas where the most intense battles broke out between the Iraqi forces and the Islamic State nearly three years ago during the liberation operation of the city.
A security source said the explosive device is likely a leftover from the terrorist organization. The blast occurred as army forces were combing the area.
Though the rate of violence in Iraq has declined since the declaration of victory over the Islamic State in late 2017, the extremist organization’s sporadic attacks and reign of terror continue.
The reported cases of terrorism-related violence have decreased in Fallujah since Iraqi forces regained control of the city from the terrorist group in June 2016.
On Tuesday, Iraqi counterterrorism forces announced the arrests of four suspected Islamic State members, including a woman who had allegedly attempted to smuggle SIM cards to remnants of the group in Anbar province.
The four were apprehended north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, a statement issued by the Counter-Terrorism Service (ICTS) read, without specifying further details. The arrest was based on “precise intelligence,” ICTS spokesman Sabah al-Nu’man said.
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany