A triple suicide bombing killed at least 11 members of Iraq’s security forces north of Baghdad, according to a provincial spokesman.
The spokesman for the Salahuddin province police force, Col. Mohammed al-Jabouri, says three militants rammed their explosives-laden vehicles Saturday morning into a check point. Al-Jabouri added that 34 other security officers were wounded.He said the attack occurred as the local police chief and head of the provincial security committee were visiting the site. Both escaped unharmed.
The attack came days after government forces recaptured the town of Shirqat, north of Tikrit, from IS militants. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but IS militants have claimed multiple similar attacks.The Sunni extremists frequently launch attacks targeting Iraq’s security forces and civilians in public areas. The group stepped up attacks in recent months as it has lost territory in northern and western Iraq that it had captured in 2014.
In April 2015, Iraqi security forces drove out Islamic State militants from the provincial capital, Tikrit, about 80 miles north of Baghdad. Backed by the U.S.-led international coalition and paramilitary forces, the Iraqi government is gearing up for a major military operation to dislodge the militants from the city of Mosul. The city, about 225 miles northwest of Baghdad, is the last major ISIS urban stronghold in Iraq. U.S. officials have said for some time that they expect the Mosul operation to begin in October.
