Roadside bomb kills 2 Shia militiamen in eastern Iraq

By Hussein al-Amir

BAGHDAD (AA) – Two Shia militiamen were killed by a roadside bomb late Saturday in eastern Iraq, according to a local police officer.

The bomb exploded when a convoy carrying members of the Hashd al-Shaabi militia was passing in north-eastern Baquba city, the provincial capital of Diyala province, police captain Habib al-Shemari said.

“Five other militiamen were injured in the blast,” he told Anadolu Agency.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Iraqi officials often point the finger at Daesh terrorist group, which captured vast swathes of territory in northern and western Iraq in 2014.

Established three years ago with the express purpose of fighting Daesh, the Hashd al-Shaabi is an umbrella of pro-government militias.

Last December, Iraq passed legislation calling for the group’s formal incorporation into the Iraqi armed forces.

There is no official data regarding the size of the Hashd al-Shaabi, but some sources say it can field as many as 300,000 fighters.