Islamic State terrorists attacked oil field in Kirkuk and killed three security guards

Islamic State (IS) extremists attacked a checkpoint belonging to Iraqi security forces guarding one of the oil fields in Kirkuk, a province disputed between Erbil and Baghdad.

An Iraqi security source on Wednesday said an overnight IS attack on guards at a checkpoint of the oil field in Kirkuk’s Dibis district resulted in the death of three security members, al-Sumeriya News reported.

According to the source, the IS attack wounded three other security forces.

No damages were reported to the oil fields in the area.

According to Shafaq News, the three security members killed in the IS attack are from the province of Diwaniya in southern Iraq.

Following the incident, Iraqi security forces launched an operation in the area to track down the attackers. The security forces have not yet released any updates on the offensive.

In another incident, a roadside bomb planted by IS extremists near a village in Nineveh Province’s Qayyara district killed one police member.

On Monday, IS extremists killed three Iranian-backed Shia-dominated Hashd al-Shaabi militiamen near Iraq’s Baiji oil refinery in Salahuddin Province, police and militia sources said.

Iraq’s Prime Minister arrived in Diyala province, southeast of Kirkuk, on Monday in a bid to boost morale as Iraqi forces struggle to fight back the apparent resurgence of the militant group in the provinces of Diyala, Kirkuk, and Salahuddin.

In the past few months, the area has witnessed an upsurge in attacks and kidnappings by the extremist group. The most recent incident that grabbed the nation’s attention was the abduction and execution of eight Iraqi security force members on the Kirkuk – Baghdad road.

Source: Kurdistan 24