Soldier killed, another wounded by booby-trapped vehicle in Salahuddin

Salahuddin (IraqiNews.com) A soldier was killed, while another was wounded as a booby-trapped vehicle exploded at a checkpoint in Salahuddin province, a security source said.

“A booby-trapped vehicle driven by a suicide bomber exploded on Sunday at a checkpoint near al-Alam town in Salahuddin,” the source told Mawazin News on Sunday.

“The blast left a police conscript killed and another injured,” the source said adding that the victim was transferred to forensic medicine department, while the wounded was taken to hospital for treatment.

Pivotal regions that link between each of Diyala, Salahuddin and Kirkuk, are still held by the militants which poses threats to the liberated regions. Iraqi troops are urged to prevent the militants infiltration between Salahuddin and Kirkuk provinces, especially the regions stretching along Hamreen mountains and Al-Azeem town.

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.

Security members, paramilitary groups and civilians are targeted by bombings and armed attacks since the Iraqi government launched a wide-scale campaign to retake IS-occupied areas in 2016.

More than 500 Iraqis were killed and injured during July due to violence and armed conflicts, according to a monthly count by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI).