5 killed in bomb blasts in Iraq

BAGHDAD (AA) – At least five people were killed Saturday, including three soldiers, in separate bomb attacks in Iraq, the country’s interior minster told Anadolu Agency.

Fifteen civilians were also injured in the attacks.

One soldier was killed and three others were wounded when a bomb placed on a road exploded in the Et-Tarimiyye district north of Baghdad, Interior Ministry official Nazim al-Zamili told Anadolu Agency.

He said in a separate attack, two civilians were killed and nine others were wounded when a bomb placed near a bazaar exploded in the capital of Baghdad.

In Anbar district two soldiers were killed and three others wounded when a bomb exploded inside a home.

There has been no claim of responsibility for the attacks.

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

While the Iraqi army -- with the help of pro-government militias -- has recently retaken several key areas from Daesh, the group still remains in control of several parts of the country.