ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Two soldiers of the Iraqi army were killed and three wounded when a bomb exploded on their vehicle on Thursday morning, state media reported, with the country recently witnessing a spate of deadly terrorist attacks by the Islamic State (ISIS). “An explosive device detonated on a Hummer of the 14th Division / Iraqi Army in Makhmour district … killing two soldiers and wounding three others,” state media cited a security source as saying, with the attack likely conducted by ISIS. The attack marks the latest in a series of deadly ISIS attacks that have rocked the country recently, prompting reactions from top Iraqi leaders including Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani. An ISIS attack on a village in western Diyala province on Monday led to the deaths of at least eight people with an additional three injured. Monday’s attack followed yet another deadly ISIS attack in Kirkuk province a day prior that killed at least seven members of the federal Iraqi police. On Tuesday, the United Nations Security Council condemned the latest ISIS attacks while reiterating “support for the independence, sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity, democratic process, and prosperity of Iraq.” ISIS seized large swathes of Iraqi and Syrian territory in 2014 and declared a so-called “caliphate.” While the group was declared territorially defeated in Iraq in 2017, it still continues to pose serious security risks through hit-and-run attacks, bombings, and abductions across several provinces. The terror group is particularly active in areas disputed by Erbil and Baghdad, including parts of Kirkuk, Salahaddin, and Diyala.
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