ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – An Iranian team exhuming graves dating back to the 1980-88 war with Iraq was targeted by a booby trap the district of Khanaqin in Iraq’s northern DIyala province, killing one of the searchers and wounding another, amid growing attacks in the Kurdish dominated area. "Today, an Iranian team exhuming the mass graves of the remains of the Iranian soldiers killed during the Iraq-Iran war was ambushed by a booby trap at the site of the search, killing one and wounding another who was rushed to a hospital in the city," said Capt. Irfan Hama Khan. A string of bomb attacks in Khanaqin has led to further insecurity in this Kurdish area close to the Iranian border. "Last night, Peshmerga forces received fire, which we repulsed,” said Brig. Najmadeen Omer, a Peshmerga commander." Later, a roadside bomb was triggered by Hashd al-Shaabi, who were the targets, wounding three militants who are in critical condition," he said, referring to the Shiite militia that is allied with the Iraqi government. "Those who opened fire on the Peshmerga are suspected to be the perpetrators who laid the roadside bomb on the main Sadia-Khanaqin road," targeting Hashd al-Shaabi militiamen, Omer said. Meanwhile, another Peshmerga commander reported that two other bombs had gone off in a neighborhood of Khanaqin. "Last night, a bomb planted in the Tola Frosh neighborhood in Khanaqin went off, wounding two persons," said Capt. Khan. "Another bomb was defused." Hemn Mansour, head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK's) office in Khanaqin, said that ISIS is weak in the area, but has "sleeper cells targeting the area's stability.” Mansour said ISIS is responsible for plotting these attacks against civilians, and security forces must be aware of the group's activities. Khanaqin, a predominately Kurdish city, is near the Iranian border on a tributary of the Diyala River. It is the administrative capital of the Khanaqin District and is part of the disputed areas between the Kurdistan region and Baghdad. It comprises several cities, such as Sadia and Jalawla as well as hundreds of villages.
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