MESOP SITUATION REPORT : Shiite militia targeted in Kirkuk

albawaba News : 25 Apr 2015 – At least five civilians have been killed and more than twenty others injured in a bomb explosion that targeted the funeral of a pro-government volunteer fighter slain during fighting with Daesh militants in Iraq’s northern province of Kirkuk. A local security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the bombing took place as people were attending the funeral in the provincial capital city of Kirkuk, located 236 kilometers (147 miles) north of the capital, Baghdad, at around 9.30 p.m. local time (1830 GMT) on Tuesday, Arabic-language Kirkuk Now news agency reported. The source added that the bomb attack left five civilians dead and 21 others injured, noting that security forces immediately rushed to the scene and launched an investigation into the incident. There has been no claim of responsibility for the bombing, but such attacks are usually blamed on Daesh miliants. The UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) has said that nearly 1,000 people were killed by violence last month, while over 2,170 others were injured in the war-torn country.

According to the UN mission, the number of civilian fatalities was 729.A great portion of the fatalities was recorded in Baghdad, where more than 360 civilians were killed.The northern parts of Iraq have been in chaos since Daesh started its campaign of terror in the country in early June 2014. The terrorists have swept through parts of Iraq’s Sunni Arab heartland and are in control of the country’s second-largest city of Mosul.Since then, Iraq’s army has been joined by Kurdish forces, and Shia and Sunni volunteers in operations to drive the ISIL terrorists out of the areas they have seized.

http://www.albawaba.com/news/iraq-five-killed-21-injured-explosion-kirkuk-explosion-685290