ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Islamic State (ISIS) group killed at least seven members of the federal Iraqi police, including a senior officer in an IED attack in southern Kirkuk province where the militants are active, Iraqi state media reported on Sunday.
A bomb exploded on a vehicle carrying the policemen in southern Kirkuk’s Riyadh subdistrict and the blast was followed by bullet fire when the suspected ISIS militants attacked the car, killing at least seven policemen including a senior officer.
At least one militant also lost his life during the attack, while no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Sunday afternoon directed the formation of an investigation into the incident, stressing that “the terrorist elements that committed this cowardly terrorist attack” will be dealt “fair and urgent retribution,” according to his spokesperson Yehia Rasool.
ISIS seized large swathes of Iraqi and Syrian territory in 2014 and declared a so-called “caliphate.” While the group was declared territorially defeated in Iraq in 2017, it still continues to pose serious security risks through hit-and-run attacks, bombings, and abductions across several provinces.
The terror group is particularly active in areas disputed by Erbil and Baghdad, including parts of Kirkuk, Salahaddin, and Diyala.
Kirkuk Governor Rakan al-Jabouri urged the need to strengthen security in the disputed areas following the attack and said the incident “will not pass without immediate punishment for the terrorist elements.”
On Saturday, three people were killed and another injured when a bomb left behind by ISIS exploded in Nineveh province’s Bashiqa town.
The Iraqi army earlier in December killed six ISIS members, including two suicide bombers in Salahaddin province.
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