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Unidentified gunmen shoot three Iraqi policemen dead in Kirkuk
 Kirkuk (IraqiNews.com) – Three Iraqi policemen were killed late on Monday as unidentified gunmen opened fire at them while on duty in Kirkuk province, a security source was quoted as saying.Another policeman was wounded in the assault, which took place near a security checkpoint in Altun Kupri town on the border area between Kirkuk and Erbil provinces, the source added. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State (IS) militant group, in most cases, is responsible for attacks targeting policemen and citizens across Iraq.
The incident occurred at a guard post south of the Altun Kupri (Pirde) checkpoint, the Iraqi Security Media Center announced in a statement that confirmed the casualties. The Iraqi authorities said they would later release more information. Speaking to two villagers and a federal police officer stationed in the area, Rudaw’s correspondent in Kirkuk, ... a thick stew of Arabs, Turkmen, Kurds, and probably Antarcticans, all of them mutually hostile most of the time... Hardi Mohammed, reported the attack occurred at 10:22 p.m. near Kalwor village. The guard post is 100 meters away from the critical road and it is near the former Erbil-Kirkuk customs point. A group of gunnies descended from the nearby Kani Domalan mountain range and attacked the federal police, locals detailed. Gunshots were heard by the local villagers for 30-40 minutes. Light weapons were said to be used. They then retreated via the same route.  The villagers of Kalwor said they were told by Iraqi forces not to leave their homes due to the precarious situation. Other forces have gone to the mountain range to chase the assailants, the local correspondent added.Iraq's elite US-trained Counterterrorism Services (ICTS) have been conducting anti-ISIS operations in the province over the past month. Yahya Rasul, the spokesperson for Iraq’s Ministry of Defense, announced the results of “clearing operations” in Saladin and al-Jazira operations on Monday. He tweeted that 13 ISIS members have been killed, 18 “dens’ have been destroyed, and five vehicles have been destroyed. The Islamic State (ISIS) hasn’t claimed the responsibility for the attack on the Erbil-Kirkuk road. Its media did claim an IED attack on a federal police officer on Monday in Abdulkarim Nassir village in the central province of Diyala. The Erbil-Kirkuk road is a critical transportation lane that links the Kurdistan Region to central Iraq and parts of Iran. It is also used to transport goods coming mainly from the Ibrahim Khalil border crossing with Turkey. The Erbil-Kirkuk-Sulaimani road is the most direct and up-to-date. Posted by: trailing wife 2019-05-08 |
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