One killed, 5 wounded in blasts in western, northern Baghdad

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) One person was killed and five others were wounded on Monday when two explosive devices exploded west and north of Baghdad.

A police source told Alsumaria News that the bomb was planted on the side of a road near commercial shops in Bakriya, west of baghdad, killing one and wounding three people.

The source, who asked not to be named, said another bomb exploded in Tarimiya, north of the capital, targeting a passing al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces). Two troopers from the patrol were wounded, said the source.

Nobody claimed responsibility for the bombing yet, but Islamic State militants have said they were responsible for several bloody explosions that hit the capital in recent weeks.

Violence surged in Iraq with the emergence of Islamic State militants who took over large areas of the country in 2014. Baghdad has been witnessing almost daily bombings targeting civilians and security personnel.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) says violence in the country had left 19000 casualties in nine months of 2016.

Observers believe Islamic State have begun to escalate attacks outside the city of Mosul, where the group has been losing ground and personnel since October, so as to relieve pressure by government forces on that front and to divert attention from group losses.

While losing Mosul could be the severest blow to the group’s existence in Iraq, some observers believe attacks outside the province prove that the extremist group can still pose a security threat.