Pro-govt fighter killed in armed attack by Islamic State on Kirkuk checkpoint
Kirkuk (IraqiNews.com) – A fighter of the pro-government Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) was killed Monday in an armed attack by Islamic State against a security checkpoint in the Iraqi province of Kirkuk, a security source was quoted as saying.
“IS militants attacked a security checkpoint run by the Popular Mobilization Forces in Brayati village, in northwestern Kirkuk,” the source told Alsumaria News TV channel, adding that a fighter of the PMF was killed in the attack.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, further said that a security force sealed off the incident site and carried the body to the forensic medicine department.
Popular Mobilization Forces, an alliance of volunteer Shia paramilitary forces, have actively backed the Iraqi government’s military campaign against IS since 2014, when they were formed upon a top Shia clergy edict to counter the Sunni Jihadist group.
PMF won official recognition as a national force late 2016, becoming under the command of the prime minister, who is also the supreme commander of the armed forces.
Bomb blast kills on-duty cop in Iraq’s Kirkuk
Kirkuk (IraqiNews.com) – A police officer was killed Monday when an explosive charge went off in the oil-rich province of Kirkuk, the Iraqi federal police said.
“A policeman was martyred while on duty as an explosive charge exploded in Hawija district, southwest of Kirkuk,” Baghdad Today news website quoted the federal police as saying.
No further details were given about the bomb attack but the Islamic State (IS) militant group, in most cases, is responsible for attacks targeting crowded areas, including markets, cafes and mosques across Iraq.