Bomb blasts injure 3 in Iraq’s Karbala

By Ali Jawad

BAGHDAD (AA) – Three Iraqis were injured, including two policemen, in three bomb explosions in the southern Karbala province on Saturday, according to a local police officer.

Two devices exploded at a police patrol and a civilian vehicle in al-Khanafesa district, northwest of Karbala, said the officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.

Another roadside bomb exploded on a highway in the district, he added.

There was no comment from the Iraqi authorities on the attacks, for which no group has yet claimed responsibility.

A religious city for Shia Muslims, Karbala was struck by a series of suicide bombings in past years, killing hundreds of people.

In recent months, Daesh/ISIS terrorists have escalated their attacks in Iraq, especially in the area between Kirkuk, Salahuddin, and Diyala, known as the Triangle of Death.

In 2017, Iraq declared victory over Daesh/ISIS by reclaiming all territories the terrorist group controlled since the summer of 2014, which was estimated to be about a third of the country’s territory. The group, however, still maintains sleeper cells in large areas in Iraq and occasionally launches sporadic attacks.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara