Iraq

Car bomb kills four people in Iraq’s Salahuddin

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A car bomb attack in Iraq’s Salahuddin province killed four people and injured nearly 20 others Saturday, in the wake of the liberation of the city of Fallujah from the Takfiri Daesh terrorists.

Security sources in Salahuddin said the bombing was carried out in the city of Tuz Khurmatu, located about 230 kilometers (143 miles) south of the major city of Mosul that has been under the control of Daesh since the summer of 2014.

There has been no claim of responsibility for the assault.

The explosives-laden car was detonated in the main street of Tuz Khurmatu near the office of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, the sources said.

Locals also confirmed the deaths, saying the attack may have been an attempt by the Daesh terrorists to avenge the contribution of Kurdish fighters to Iraq’s battle against the Takfiri group.

Kurdish fighters have been assisting the Iraqi military and volunteer fighters in northern Iraq over the past months. The assistance may increase as Iraq prepares a major offensive to retake Mosul, the last and most significant bastion of Daesh. The military announced earlier on Saturday that it had started the offensive in northern Salahuddin and south of Mosul.

Fallujah ‘retaken’ from Daesh

On Friday, Iraqi forces managed to seize almost full control over Fallujah, a strategic city which had been in the hands of Daesh for more than two years.

Fierce clashes were going on around several villages in northern Salahuddin with reports suggesting that the Iraqi army artillery targeted positions held by terrorists in the area. A Daesh command base was also completely destroyed in airstrikes conducted on Salahuddin Shirqat district.

Following the liberation of Fallujah, Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said, “We promised you the liberation of Fallujah and we retook it. Our security forces control the city except for small pockets that need to be cleared within the coming hours.”

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