Bomb blast kills 8 civilians, soldier in restive western Iraq

At least eight civilians and a soldier have lost their lives when a group of bombers infiltrated into a city in Iraq’s troubled western province of Anbar, and one of them blew himself up among security personnel and ordinary people.

A police source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said four bombers had managed to sneak into Khan al-Baghdadi, situated about 180 kilometers (110 miles) northwest of the capital, Baghdad, through the northwestern desert, Arabic-language Basnews news agency reported.

The source added that government forces could corner the quartet inside a house in the al-Shuhada area of the city, killing three of them and destroying their explosives-laden belts.

The fourth terrorist, who was hiding himself, then jumped out and detonated himself among a crowd of police forces and civilians.

Sharhabeel al-Obeidi, the mayor of al-Baghdadi, said there were five children among the slain civilians, noting that 11 people sustained injuries in the act of terror as well.

According to the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), a total of 354 Iraqi civilians lost their lives last month, and 470 others were injured as a result of acts of terrorism and violence across Iraq in May.

The UN mission, however, did not mention the number of Iraqi police forces, who were killed or sustained injuries in the violence.

A large number of the fatalities were recorded in the troubled northern province of Nineveh, where 160 civilians were killed and 52 others wounded.

The capital province of Baghdad saw 86 people killed and another 226 injured. 

The figures were released by the UN as government forces are engaged in street battles with Takfiri Daesh terrorists to expel them out of their last urban stronghold in Mosul.

Iraqi army soldiers and volunteer fighters from the Popular Mobilization Units, commonly known by their Arabic name, Hashd al-Sha’abi, have made sweeping gains against Daesh since launching the Mosul operation on October 17, 2016.

The Iraqi forces took control of eastern Mosul in January after 100 days of fighting, and launched the battle in the west on February 19.

An estimated 862,000 people have been displaced from Mosul ever since the battle to retake the city began nine months ago. A total of 195,000 civilians have also returned, mainly to the liberated areas of eastern Mosul.

MG