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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi security forces intercepted and safely detonated an unidentified explosive-laden drone in Kirkuk, the Iraqi National Security Service (INSS) announced Friday amid ongoing security concerns in the province.
“In coordination with the engineering units of the Iraqi Army, the drone and the projectile were destroyed at the site of discovery through a controlled explosion,” said the agency in a statement.
This comes two days after the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (ICTS) announced the arrest of a senior Islamic State (ISIS) suspect in Kirkuk province, as part of the service’s ongoing efforts to pursue the remnants of ISIS and track down their members.
ISIS and its remnants have continued to pose a security threat despite their territorial defeat in Iraq late 2017. Their primary areas of operations include the disputed territories, particularly Kirkuk, Salahaddin, Diyala, and Nineveh, exploiting a coordination gap between Kurdish and Iraqi security forces.
On Thursday, near the Daraman checkpoint on the main Kirkuk-Erbil road, two masked gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire on guards outside the Saqr al-Asi oil refining company. According to information obtained by Rudaw, the attackers, dressed completely in black, launched a sudden assault before immediately fleeing toward the Kani Domalan heights.
The attack wounded four security guards, including Rizgar Qadir, who died after being rushed to a hospital with a severe gunshot wound to the head. Iraqi army and police forces quickly deployed to the scene and used surveillance cameras to track the suspects.
Iraqi Interior Minister Yasser al-Maliki told reporters in Kirkuk on Sunday during a visit that provincial security is a priority, according to the state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA).
"The province's security is one of the ministry's priorities," he said, adding that "the province enjoys the attention of the government."
