The Islamic State (IS) jihadist group claimed responsibility Monday for an attack on a police post 30km from Kirkuk in which 13 police officers were killed and four others were injured.
The bomber struck shortly after midnight and lasted for hours, a senior Iraqi police official told AFP.
The jihadists used improvised explosive devices to prevent reinforcements from reaching the site, according to sources close to the Iraqi security forces.
The IK, whose nuclei remain active in the area, took responsibility by posting the “news” agency Amak, its propaganda organ, on the Telegram platform.
Despite the announcement of Iraq’s “victory” over IS in 2017, the organization’s nuclei continue to launch frequent attacks against security forces and civilians in various parts of the country. The jihadists claimed responsibility for an attack on a market in Baghdad’s Sadr City that claimed the lives of more than 30 people and plunged the Shiite neighborhood into mourning in July.
According to a senior Iraqi federal police officer who spoke to AFP, IS militants often launched attacks in the sparsely populated area around Kirkuk, mainly “due to a lack of air support and military support.”
