Suicide blast injures 8 soldiers in northern Iraq

By Ali Jawad

BAGHDAD (AA) - Eight Iraqi soldiers were injured in a suicide attack in the northern Nineveh province on Monday, according to a local security source.

A bomber detonated his explosive belt at an Iraqi military force during a crackdown operation in Nuwayqit Mountains, south of Mosul, the source said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

There was no comment from the Iraqi authorities on the report.

In related development, Iraqi warplanes carried out two raids in Nuwayqit Mountains, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry said a number of Daesh/ISIS terrorists were killed in the attack, but without specifying an exact number.

Attacks blamed on Daesh/ISIS militants have escalated in Iraq in recent months, especially in the provinces of Salahuddin, Diyala, and Kirkuk.

In 2017, Iraq declared victory over Daesh/ISIS by reclaiming all of its territories – about a third of the country’s area – invaded by the terror group in 2014.

But the terrorist group still maintains sleeper cells in large areas of Iraq and periodically launches attacks.

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar