Three farmers killed, wounded in landmine explosion, west of Anbar

Anbar (IraqiNews.com) A civilian was killed, while two others were injured as a landmine, from the remnants of war against Islamic State, exploded, west of Anbar, a security source said on Sunday.

In remarks to BasNews website, the source from Anbar Operations Command, said “a landmine from the remnants of war against Islamic State, went off in an agricultural land in Rutba, west of Anbar, as the farmers were ploughing the land. A civilian was killed, while two others were injured.”

Security troops, according to the source, who preferred anonymity, “rushed to the accident spot and combed the region fearing further blasts.”

The landmines, planted by the militants, “still exist due to the difficulty to reach the bombs due to shortage of explosive detectors,” the source added.

A total of 79 Iraqi civilians were killed and another 99 injured in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict in Iraq in July 2018, according to casualty figures recorded by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).

Baghdad was the worst affected Governorate, with 63 civilian casualties (30 killed, 33 injured), followed by Kirkuk (8 killed, 34 injured) and Nineveh (13 killed and 05 injured).

Thousands of Islamic State militants as well as Iraqi civilians were killed since the government campaign, backed by paramilitary troops and the coalition was launched in October 2016.