Middle East

Car-bomb kills two policemen in S. Iraq's Samawah city

Bomb targets police checkpoint outside Samawah in southern Iraq’s relatively secure Muthanna province

11.08.2016 - Update : 11.08.2016
Car-bomb kills two policemen in S. Iraq's Samawah city

By Hadi Hasan

BAGHDAD

A car-bomb went off near the entrance of Samawah city in Iraq’s southern Muthanna province, killing two Iraqi policemen, a local police source told Anadolu Agency on Thursday.

"The bomb targeted the Mamlaha [police] checkpoint at Samawah’s southeastern entrance, killing two policemen and injuring several others," the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to media.

He said the death toll could rise further, however, due to the large magnitude of the blast.

"Security forces have since closed the checkpoint and are now conducting investigations into the circumstances of the incident," the source said.

Although Samawah enjoys relative security compared to other parts of war-torn Iraq, the city was rocked by a twin suicide blast on May 1 -- responsibility for which was claimed by the Daesh terrorist group -- that left more than 30 dead and scores wounded.

Iraq has suffered a devastating security vacuum since mid-2014, when Daesh captured the northern city of Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city and overran large swathes of territory in the northern and western parts of the country.

While the Iraqi army, backed by U.S.-led airstrikes, has since managed to retake much lost territory, Daesh remains in control of several parts of the country, including Mosul.

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