Violence kills 3 civilians in northern Iraq

By Hussein al-Amir and Serhad Shaker

BAGHDAD (AA) – Three civilians were killed in two separate attacks in northern Iraq on Sunday, according to local security officials.

Gunmen broke into a house and opened fire in al-Dajil, south of Saladin province, killing one and injuring six others, Police Lieutenant Nuaman al-Jabouri told Anadolu Agency.

The assailants fled the scene unscathed following the attack.

Meanwhile, two people were killed when explosives left behind by Daesh militants exploded at a house in Sinjar, west of Mosul, Police Lieutenant Iyad al-Asali said.

He said another civilian was seriously injured in the explosion.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, though Iraqi officials blame the violence on the Daesh terrorist group.

The Daesh presence has recently been purged from Iraq -- by Iraqi forces and a U.S.-led military coalition -- after the terrorist group overran much of the country in 2014.

Iraqi officials, however, continue to warn of Daesh “sleeper cells” that they say remain in the country.