Fifteen people killed, injured in Islamic State attack on Kirkuk-Baghdad road

Kirkuk (IraqiNews.com) Fifteen civilians were killed and injured as Islamic State militants set up a checkpoint on the road between Baghdad and Kirkuk, a security source was quoted saying.

Speaking to Baghdad Today, the source said, “IS members set up an ambush between villages of Maftool and Sarha on the road linking between Kirkuk and Baghdad. They targeted civilians, leaving fifteen people killed and injured.”

No further details were provided.

“Among the victims were the brother of Amerli police department chief,” another source said, adding that he was “on the way coming back from vacation in Baghdad.”

“Five members of the family of Mohamed Hashem, photojournalist with Huna Salahuddin, were killed in the attack,” the source, who preferred anonymity, added.

A total of 91 Iraqi civilians were killed and 208 others were injured in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict in February, according to the monthly report issued by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).

Baghdad was the worst affected Governorate, with 195 civilian casualties (49 killed, 146 injured). Anbar Governorate ranked second place, with 14 killed and 37 injured, and Diyala had 12 killed and 11 injured.

As many as 3,298 civilians were killed and 4,781 others were wounded in 2017, excluding Anbar civilian casualty figures for November and December, which are not available, UNAMI said in a report in December.