4 civilians killed in Iraq attacks

By Ibrahim Salih and Jamal al-Badrani

BAGHDAD (AA) – At least four civilians were killed and ten others injured in two separate attacks in Iraq on Wednesday, according to police officials.

Mortar shells struck a marketplace in al-Qayyara, south of the Mosul city, police officer Ahmed al-Jabouri told Anadolu Agency.

“Two people were killed and five others injured in the attack,” he said.

Two civilians were also killed and five others injured in a bomb blast in the capital Baghdad, police officer Dham al-Mahmud said.

He said security forces have imposed a security cordon around the scene of the attack in al-Mahmoudiya, south of Baghdad.

There was no claim of responsibility for the attacks, though Iraqi authorities often blame the Daesh group for the violence.

Iraq has suffered a devastating security vacuum since mid-2014, when Daesh overran vast swathes of territory in the northern and western parts of the country, including Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city.

Iraqi forces, backed by U.S.-led airstrikes, have since managed to recapture most of the territory from the terrorist group.