Two children killed in leftover landmine explosion in Basra

Basra (IraqiNews.com) Two children were killed as a landmine left over by Islamic State militants exploded in Basra, a security source said on Thursday.

Speaking to Alghad Press, the source said, “a war leftover landmine exploded in Basra, killing two brothers.”

According to the source, the children were born in 2013 and 2014. “They were transferred to hospital, where they succumbed to death due to the profound wounds.”

Violence in the country has surged further with the emergence of Islamic State Sunni extremist militants who proclaimed an “Islamic Caliphate” in Iraq and Syria in 2014.

A monthly count by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI), which excludes security members deaths, said 196 civilians were killed, while 381 others were wounded due to violence and armed conflicts during the month of September. The fatalities included 10 foreign nationals. Baghdad was the most affected province with 37 deaths and 157 injuries. Dhi Qar province came in the second place with 82 killed and 93 injured. Anbar came in the third place with 20 killed and 46 injured.

The Iraqi capital has seen almost daily bombings and armed attacks against security members, paramilitary troops and civilians since the Iraqi government launched a wide-scale campaign to retake Islamic State-occupied areas in 2016.

While most of of the explosions and attacks in Baghdad go without a claim of responsibility, Islamic State has claimed several incidents.