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Rocket attack kills six in Iraq’s oil-rich Kirkuk

Rocket attack kills six in Iraq’s oil-rich Kirkuk
A car drives near a flag belonging to Islamic State militants at the end of a bridge in southern Kirkuk, August 23, 2014. (Reuters)
Updated 25 August 2019

Rocket attack kills six in Iraq’s oil-rich Kirkuk

Rocket attack kills six in Iraq’s oil-rich Kirkuk
  • The attack occurred late Saturday in the village of Daquq
  • The area of the attack is controlled by the Popular Mobilization Forces

BAGHDAD A rocket attack killed six people and wounded nine others overnight at a sports stadium in oil-rich Kirkuk, north of Baghdad, Iraqi security forces said Sunday.
“Six civilians were killed and nine others were wounded in an attack with rocket-propelled grenades and medium-grade weapons,” they said in a statement.
It said the attack targeted a football stadium in Daquq in the ethnically diverse province of Kirkuk.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but security forces pointed the finger at Daesh “terrorist gangs.”
Iraq announced victory against Daesh in late 2017 after three years of ferocious fighting backed by paramilitary forces and the US-led air coalition.
But Daesh sleeper cells still carry out hit-and-run attacks, particularly in vast desert regions of northern and western Iraq near the porous border with Syria.
Those regions have long seen ethnic and religious tensions, with communities there remaining at odds over territory and oil.
On Sunday, the head of the Turkmen Front cast doubt on Daesh’s involvement.
“The targeting of Daquq is political par excellence, to create instability and impose political wills,” said Iraqi MP Arshad Al-Salehi.