UPDATE - Six Hashd fighters killed in N. Iraq: Defense Ministry

ADDS TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY STATEMENT

By Hussein al-Amir and Vakkas Dogantekin

BAGHDAD/ANKARA (AA) - Gunmen ambushed a group of Hashd al-Shaabi fighters on the Mosul-Kirkuk road in northern Iraq leaving six dead, according to local police and army sources.

“Daesh terrorists ambushed a group of Hashd fighters late Wednesday as they returned from patrol,” Kirkuk Police Captain Hamed al-Obeidi told Anadolu Agency on Thursday.

In a statement, the Iraqi Defense Ministry confirmed that a Hashd al-Shaabi position on the Mosul-Kirkuk road had come under attack, leaving six Hashd al-Shaabi fighters dead and more than 30 injured.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has since issued a statement condemning the attack, noting that some of the victims were from Iraq’s Turkmen community.

“We strongly condemn this heinous terrorist attack.

“We convey our condolences to all our Turkmen brothers and the friendly people of Iraq and wish Allah’s mercy upon those who lost their lives and a speedy recovery to the wounded,” the statement said.

A predominantly Shia fighting force, Iraq’s Hashd al-Shaabi was drawn up in 2014 with the express purpose of fighting Daesh. In 2017, it was formally incorporated into the Iraqi army.

In late 2017, officials in Baghdad declared that Daesh's military presence in Iraq had been all but destroyed.

Nevertheless, the Iraqi army continues to carry out frequent operations against the group’s lingering presence in certain parts of the country.