Bomb Blast Kills Military Officer, Injures Three Soldiers In Iraq’s Kirkuk

A bomb blast in Iraq’s northern province of Kirkuk killed an intelligence officer and injured three soldiers on Wednesday. The attack occurred near the town of Dibis, northwest of Kirkuk city, about 250 km north of Baghdad.

Lieutenant Colonel Laith al-Hayali, from the Iraqi Army’s 8th Division Intelligence Service, died when an explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Three soldiers traveling with him sustained injuries, an Iraqi army officer reported anonymously to Xinhua news agency.

Iraqi security forces quickly arrived at the scene of bomb blast and evacuated the wounded to Kirkuk General Hospital. So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the bombing.

Though Iraq’s security situation improved after the defeat of the Islamic State (IS) in 2017, sporadic attacks still plague the country. IS militants continue to launch sporadic attacks in Kirkuk province, despite their defeat in both Iraq and Syria.

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IS fighters once controlled vast areas of Iraq and Syria after establishing a so-called “caliphate” in 2014. However, the group has since been reduced to small guerrilla units, operating in remote regions without territorial control.

Iraqi forces, now tackling IS remnants independently, say the group poses no significant threat. In late August, a joint operation by US and Iraqi forces killed 15 IS fighters in Iraq’s western desert, though seven US soldiers were injured.

A July UN report estimated that IS strength in Iraq and Syria has dropped to between 1,500 and 3,000 fighters due to losses and recruitment challenges.