Iraq: At least seven police killed in bomb and gun attack

At slightest 7 constabulary officers person been killed successful a weaponry and weapon onslaught successful bluish Iraq.

The onslaught took spot adjacent the oil-rich metropolis of Kirkuk, astir 293km (182 miles) from the superior Baghdad connected Sunday.

No radical has said it was down the killings, but officials blamed the Islamic State group.

On Wednesday, a roadside weaponry killed 3 Iraqi soldiers adjacent Baghdad. IS said it planted the bomb.

Sunday's onslaught began erstwhile a weaponry blast targeted a motortruck carrying constabulary adjacent the colony of Chalal al-Matar, officials told AFP.

The blast was followed by followed by "a nonstop onslaught with tiny arms".

"An assailant has been killed and we are looking for the others," the authoritative added, saying that 2 policemen were besides wounded successful the attack.

An authoritative from the Ministry of the Interior successful Baghdad confirmed the attack.

IS erstwhile held 88,000 sq km (34,000 sq miles) of territory stretching from eastbound Iraq to occidental Syria and imposed its brutal regularisation connected astir 8 cardinal people.

But Iraqi forces declared triumph implicit the Islamist radical successful December 2017, aft its troops drove IS militants from the Syrian borderline portion wherever the Islamists' last strongholds had been.

The radical was driven from its past territory successful 2019, but the UN warned successful July that it remained a persistent threat.

It is estimated to person betwixt 6,000 and 10,000 fighters successful Syria and Iraq, who are based mostly successful agrarian areas and proceed to transportation retired hit-and-run attacks, ambushes and roadside bombings.

In its report, the UN observed that contempt "significant enactment losses," the radical has been capable to "exploit information gaps and conditions conducive to the dispersed of coercion to enlistee and to organise and execute analyzable attacks".