Iraq: Daesh roadside bomb kills two soldiers in Kirkuk

By Ali Muharrem Garip

KIRKUK, Iraq

Two soldiers were killed in a roadside blast in Iraq’s Kirkuk city, a senior military official said Tuesday.

“Two soldiers, including a military official, were killed when a bomb planted by Daesh militants along a roadside in the town of Gaida in southern Kirkuk exploded,” General Ali Fazil Omran, commander of Kirkuk operations, told Anadolu Agency.

“Two soldiers were also injured in clashes that took place between the Daesh militia and soldiers after the blast,” Omran added.

He said a large-scale operation was launched in the region to arrest the assailants.

Upon the instructions of Iraq Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, federal forces launched military operations on Oct. 16 with a view to securing Iraq’s oil-rich Kirkuk province and other territories “disputed” between the KRG and Baghdad.

The Peshmerga, which had held these territories since mid-2014, withdrew without incident, leaving them to Iraqi federal forces.