Over a dozen killed in terrorist attack on a funeral procession in northern Iraq
Northern Iraq has been a hotspot for Daesh activity since their defeat in 2017
Baghdad: An attack on a funeral procession in northern Iraq has claimed a number of victims, Iraq’s military said in a statement on Friday.
The military said the “terrorist’’ attack in the province of Salahaddin resulted in a “number of victims’’ but did not provide specific figures.
An Iraqi security official, however, said 13 people had been killed and 45 injured, among them police and civilians, and that armed militants had opened fire on the crowd.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity said the attack had been perpetrated by the Daesh group.
The military said it will provide details once an investigation is complete.
Northern Iraq has been a hotspot for Daesh activity since their territorial defeat in 2017 by Iraqi security forces with assistance from the US-led coalition. Iraqi forces routinely carry out anti-Daesh operations in the rugged mountainous northern region and the deserts of western Iraq where they are known to be holed up.
Daesh attacks have abated in recent years but continue in these areas where security forces are often the target of ambushes, raids and IEDs.
At times, Daesh has managed to launch attacks in the capital. At least 36 people were killed on July 19 in a suicide bombing in the Baghdad suburb of Sadr City. The attack was claimed by Daesh.