Islamic State targets vehicle, kills civilians on board, north of Diyala

Diyala (IraqiNews.com) Islamic State has attacked a bus carrying civilians in Diyala province and killed people on board, a security source was quoted saying on Thursday.

Speaking to Baghdad Today website, the source said, “Islamic State killed several citizens after targeting their vehicle on Jalawla-Khanqeen road, north of Diyala.”

“Security services managed to transfer the victims to forensic medicine department in Khanqeen town,” the source added.

No further details about number of the victims were provided.

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.

Thousands of IS militants as well as Iraqi civilians were killed since the government campaign, backed by paramilitary troops and the coalition was launched in October 2016 to fight the militant group, which declared a self-styled “caliphate” from Mosul.

A total of 104 Iraqi civilians and policemen were killed, while 177 others were injured in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict in Iraq in March, according to casualty figures by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).

Baghdad was the worst affected Governorate, with 124 civilian casualties (33 killed, 91 injured), followed by Salahuddin with 12 killed and 26 injured, and Anbar with 11 killed and 22 injured.