More than 30 people were killed in a car bomb attack in Baghdad’s Sadr City district on Monday. The local police said more than 48 people were wounded in the incident. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. On the same day, Islamic State group fighters launched attacks on Iraqi Army barracks in the north of Baghdad. Several pro-government fighters were killed and injured in the attacks, reported Reuters.
This comes only a day after seven police officers were killed in an attack in the southern city of Najaf on Sunday. More than 29 people were also killed after three bombs were set off at various locations in the capital on Saturday.
Iraqi forces have been battling Islamic State group fighters since October in a bid to push them out of the northern city of Mosul, which is their last stronghold in the region. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has said that the group will be driven out of the country by April.
On Monday, Islamic State fighters attacked Iraqi Army barracks near Baiji, 180 km north of Baghdad. The attack left four soldiers dead, and more than 12 injured. The militant group also attacked checkpoints on the road connecting Baiji and Shirqat. Shirqat mayor Ali Dodah confirmed that the checkpoints had been taken over by the Islamic State group. The town near Mosul was targeted with arbitrary mortar shelling that killed two children.
Several other incidents of violence were reported from the region as well. Nine Sunni tribal fighters were executed by a group of armed men in a village near Udhaim, 90 km north of Baghdad. In a separate attack, three pro-government Shia militia were killed and seven others were wounded near Udhaim, reported Al Jazeera.
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