Landmine explosion in Iraq, 3 shepherds killed

Baghdad (Uttam Hindu News): Three shepherds from the same family were killed in a landmine explosion in Iraq’s central province of Salahuddin on Saturday. A provincial police source gave this information. Colonel Mohammed al-Baji told Xinhua that the incident occurred when herders led their sheep into a wooded area near the town of al-Aith in the northern part of the province.

Iraqi security forces arrived at the scene and began investigating the incident, al-Bazi said, adding that security forces believed the bomb was planted by extremist Islamic State (IS) militants. The al-Aith region, about 60 kilometers east of the provincial capital Tikrit, is a vast desert inhabited by herders and also used by IS militants as a launching pad for their guerrilla attacks.

The security situation in Iraq has improved since the defeat of IS in 2017. However, IS’s remaining fighters have since spread into urban centres, deserts and rugged terrain, carrying out frequent guerrilla attacks against security forces and civilians.