Man killed, son injured in explosion in Makhmour
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – A man was killed and his son injured by a suspected ISIS bomb in Makhmour. In Khanaqin, a shrine was attacked, also by a group believed to have ties with ISIS.
“This evening, in the Alyawa village of Makhmour, a planted bomb exploded,” Rizgar Mohammed Ismael, mayor of Makhmour, told Rudaw.
Asaad Hamad Ali was killed and his son, Ghanim, was injured.
Makhmour, 60 kilometres southwest of Erbil, is in the disputed areas and came under Iraqi control in the autumn of 2017.
In Khanaqin, 240 kilometres southeast of Erbil and also within the disputed zone claimed by both Erbil and Baghdad, armed men attacked a shrine with rocket-propelled grenades (RPG).
Bawa Mahmoud shrine was severely damaged and federal police at a nearby checkpoint exchanged fire with the assailants, Rudaw’s correspondent in Khanaqin reported.
The Peshmerga suspect the attackers were ex-ISIS militants who have reportedly been integrated into the paramilitaries.
“We suspect that these armed men might be ISIS that have come to the area, paid by the Iraqi government, and have been integrated into the Iraqi army and are called protectors of the country,” Major Ahmed Mustafa, a Peshmerga commander, told Rudaw.
The groups have carried out several acts of vandalism, he said.
Before 2003, Bawa Mahmoud was a holy shrine of the Kakai religious minority. With the fall of the previous regime, it was declared the tomb of the descendant of Musa Kadhim, a descendant of the Prophet Mohammed.
Shiites, during the Arbaeen vigil, visit the shrine as Musa Kadhim is a famous figure.
In Khanaqin on Tuesday, an explosion killed two women. ISIS claimed responsibility.
The militant group has taken advantage of security gaps in the disputed areas between the Peshmerga and Iraqi forces.
“This evening, in the Alyawa village of Makhmour, a planted bomb exploded,” Rizgar Mohammed Ismael, mayor of Makhmour, told Rudaw.
Asaad Hamad Ali was killed and his son, Ghanim, was injured.
Makhmour, 60 kilometres southwest of Erbil, is in the disputed areas and came under Iraqi control in the autumn of 2017.
In Khanaqin, 240 kilometres southeast of Erbil and also within the disputed zone claimed by both Erbil and Baghdad, armed men attacked a shrine with rocket-propelled grenades (RPG).
Bawa Mahmoud shrine was severely damaged and federal police at a nearby checkpoint exchanged fire with the assailants, Rudaw’s correspondent in Khanaqin reported.
The Peshmerga suspect the attackers were ex-ISIS militants who have reportedly been integrated into the paramilitaries.
“We suspect that these armed men might be ISIS that have come to the area, paid by the Iraqi government, and have been integrated into the Iraqi army and are called protectors of the country,” Major Ahmed Mustafa, a Peshmerga commander, told Rudaw.
The groups have carried out several acts of vandalism, he said.
Before 2003, Bawa Mahmoud was a holy shrine of the Kakai religious minority. With the fall of the previous regime, it was declared the tomb of the descendant of Musa Kadhim, a descendant of the Prophet Mohammed.
Shiites, during the Arbaeen vigil, visit the shrine as Musa Kadhim is a famous figure.
In Khanaqin on Tuesday, an explosion killed two women. ISIS claimed responsibility.
The militant group has taken advantage of security gaps in the disputed areas between the Peshmerga and Iraqi forces.