Thaindian News

DIYALA, IRAQ (BNO NEWS) — Two separate bomb attacks on Thursday left at least 12 people dead and many injured in northern Iraq, the Aswat al-Iraq news agency reported.

In Diyala province, a suicide bombing targeting a Shiite mosque killed eight people and injured 18 others. A man with an explosive belt strapped to his chest blew himself up inside the mosque in Baladruz district, near the provincial capital Baaquba.

In response, a leader in north Iraq’s Kurdistan Alliance called to maintain U.S. forces in the volatile Diyala province due to the “non-readiness of the Iraqi forces to take over the security in the region.”

“The Alliance in Diyala province’s council demands to keep part of the U.S. forces in the region, for several reasons, the most important being the deterioration of the security conditions in the province,” said Dilair Hassan, Assistant Chairman of the Province’s Security Committee.

Meanwhile, a car bomb exploded in the northern oil-rich city of Kirkuk, killing four. The blast took place in front of a bank in al-Huweija district. The attack successfully targeted the local chief police.

Sarhad Qader, head of Kirkuk Police Department, said that the explosive device was attached to the vehicle of the al-Shariaa police chief. The blast also killed three bodyguards and severely injured twelve people more.

Kirkuk has been witnessing an escalation in violence since the clashes between the Iraqi army and Kurdish security forces which resulted in the death of two soldiers last Monday.

An Iraqi Army patrol shot at a vehicle, killing the driver and prompting elements of the Kurdish Asayish to engage in a gun fight. On Tuesday, bomb attacks targeting three houses killed two people and injured six more.

Kirkuk is located about 280 kilometers (174 miles) to the northeast of Baghdad. Kurds claim control of the city as it was originally a Kurdish city. Currently, the city is home to a mixture of Arabs, Armenians, Assyrians, Kurds, Shabaks, and Turkmens.