Iraqi policeman killed as explosive charge goes off in Kirkuk

Kirkuk (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi police announced on Saturday that a policeman was killed in a bomb blast in Hawija district, southwest of Kirkuk.

“An explosive charge went off Saturday in Hawija district, leaving Captain Mohamed Nour Bashir dead,” the federal police command said in a statement, a copy of which was obtained by Baghdad Today website.

No further details were given about the bomb attack.

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

The surge in violence between armed groups and government forces has resulted in over five million internally displaced persons across Iraq and left more than 11 million in need of humanitarian assistance, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.