Twin explosions kill, injure 13 in Iraq’s Sulaymaniyah

At least 13 people have been killed or injured in twin bomb attacks that rocked the province of Sulaymaniyah in Iraq’s semi-autonomous region, local media say.

On Sunday, two bombers detonated their explosive belts near residential areas at a village close to the town of Darbandikhan, Shafaaq News website quoted a Kurdish military source as saying.

A third bomber also failed to set off his explosives and was killed by security forces.

The exact number of casualties is still unknown.

Following the blasts, clashes broke out between a group of armed men and Kurdish security guards in the area.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attacks, which bear the hallmarks of Daesh terrorists.

The latest terror attacks come as Iraqi forces are engaged in large-scale battles to drive Daesh out of the northern city of Mosul, the terror group’s last remaining bastion in Iraq.

The Iraqi army has the backing of different military groups, including Kurdish Peshmerga forces, in its military push to liberate Mosul.

Daesh has in recent weeks stepped up its terror activities in different parts of Iraq, particularly Baghdad, in revenge for the heavy blows it is taking on the Mosul front.

The UN said in a report earlier this week that the acts of terrorism and violence left nearly 3,000 people dead in Iraq in November.