UPDATED: 6 suicide bombers killed, a seventh kills child in Baiji

Baiji (IraqiNews.com) Security and paramilitary forces in Salahuddin province killed six suicide bombers on Thursday, while a seventh blew himself up, killing a child north of the province, according to security sources.

Alsumaria News quoted the sources saying the attackers, clad in military uniforms, sneaked into al-Hajjaj village, south of Baiji. Troops killed two before blowing themselves, but third hid inside a house, blew himself up and killed a child.

Meanwhile, the media service of the pro-Iraqi government troops paramilitary forces, al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units) said four suicide bombers were also shot dead trying to enter Baiji’s Harariyat region.

Salahuddin has witnessed occasional attacks against security forces since government troops launched operations against Islamic State militants’ pockets.

On Wednesday, Islamic State suicide bombers killed at least 31, including 14 police officers, when nearly 10 attackers entered Tikrit using a police vehicle.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) has said that violence in the country lef 1115 casualties, excluding security members, during March. Baghdad was the second most affected province with 84 deaths and 246 injuries, according to the organization’s monthly casualty count. It excludes death toll among security members after Iraqi authorities had asked to get such information exclusively from security commands.

Some observers believe Islamic State has been escalating 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. They are concerned that the group could, however, shift to a guerrilla-style war and lone wolf attacks after the recapture of Mosul.