Four army personnel killed, injured in bomb blast in Hit

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) Four army personnel were killed and wounded in a bomb blast that took place in Hit city, west of Anbar, the military media reported.

“A soldier was killed, while three others were wounded as a booby-trapped vehicle targeted convoy of the 29th brigade in central Hit,” the Defense Ministry’s War Media Cell said in a statement.

“Security troops cordoned off the blast spot. The wounded were taken to hospital, while the victim was taken to forensic medicine department,” it added.

A security source from Anbar previously said that a booby-trapped vehicle targeted army personnel in central Hit.

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 297 Iraqis, were killed and injured due to violence and armed conflicts during the month of ِAugust. Baghdad was the most affected province with 45 deaths and 135 injuries.

Baghdad has seen almost daily bombings and armed attacks against security members, paramilitary groups and civilians since the Iraqi government launched a wide-scale campaign to retake IS-occupied areas in 2016. While most of of the explosions and attacks went without a claim of responsibility, Islamic State has claimed several incidents.