One killed, another injured in Kirkuk ISIS attack

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Members of the Islamic State (ISIS) on Sunday attacked a group of shepherds southeast of Kirkuk, killing one civilian and injuring another, an official confirmed the incident to Rudaw.

The attack in Kirkuk’s Laylan district resulted in the death of one shepherd, who was also a Peshmerga fighter, and another civilian, the area’s head Salam Bawa told Rudaw’s Hastiar Qadir.

At least one ISIS member was also killed, he added.

ISIS seized control of swaths of land in Iraq in 2014. It was declared territorially defeated in 2017 but continues to carry out bombings, hit-and-run attacks, and abductions across several provinces. Peshmerga officials have blamed the deadly ISIS attacks on a lack of coordination between them and Iraqi forces in the disputed areas.

Bawa said Laylan district falls in the disputed territories between Erbil and Baghdad.

Iraqi army and the Peshmerga have formed joint brigades to fight ISIS in the disputed areas, but Iraq’s government formation turmoil has prevented their work from materializing.

Iraq’s counter-terrorism service on Monday said it killed six “prominent” ISIS leaders in Diyala and Tuz Khurmatu. 

Five Iraqi soldiers were killed in an ISIS attack in Diyala earlier this month.