5 killed in separate bombings in N. Iraq: Local sources

By Osman al-Shalash

BAGHDAD

At least five civilians fleeing the fighting between Iraqi forces and the Daesh terrorist group were killed in two separate bombings on Tuesday in Iraq’s northern Saladin province, according to local security sources.

One local security source, who spoke anonymously due to fears for his safety, told Anadolu Agency that at least one person had been killed when a bomb went off in the Al-Shirqat district, located some 120 kilometers north of provincial capital Tikrit.

According to Saladin Police Captain Ghazwan al-Jubouri, the explosion occurred in a local mosque in which fleeing residents had sought shelter.

A second blast in the Al-Zawya area north of Baiji (some 40 kilometers north of Tikrit) killed at least four people and injured another 10, according to local sources.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the twin bombings.

Numerous local residents have recently fled their homes in Saladin province, which continues to witness fierce fighting between Iraqi security forces and Daesh militants.

Iraqi forces hope to recapture Daesh-held parts of Saladin in advance of a planned offensive aimed at retaking the northern city of Mosul.

Iraq has suffered a devastating security vacuum since mid-2014, when Daesh overran vast swathes of territory in the northern and western parts of the country, including Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city.

According to the UN, more than 3.4 million people -- more than half of them children -- are now internally displaced in Iraq.