Iraqi army launches joint security operation in Kirkuk

Shafaq News/ The Iraqi Army Forces launched on Sunday a joint security operation in Kirkuk governorate, according to a security source.

The source told Shafaq News Agency that “a combined force of Iraqi army troops and allied forces initiated the operation in the Jabal Bur region, southeast of Kirkuk, sweeping the mountainous area to prevent any terrorist group activities.”

The operation came after a roadside bomb injured four people city of Kirkuk on Saturday, police sources reported. The blast occurred in a commercial district in the city center. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

Earlier in the week, an ambush on an army convoy southwest of Kirkuk left four Iraqi soldiers dead and three others wounded, with ISIS taking responsibility for the assault.

Though the group was officially defeated in 2017, ISIS remnants continue to launch sporadic hit-and-run attacks targeting government forces.