Kirkuk: woman killed by army mortar fire aimed at suspected ISIS members

KIRKUK — A woman was killed by Iraqi army mortar fire during an operation against two suspected Islamic State members near the village of Malha in Kirkuk late on Saturday, the Security Media Cell said.

Troops of the 11th Division detected “the movement of two remnants of ISIS near the village of Al-Malha” and fired two mortar rounds at the location, the cell said. “The incident resulted in the injury of a civilian woman who happened to be near the site. She was urgently transported to hospital for treatment, but she died from her injuries.” It said further details would follow. It did not say whether the two suspects were hit, how close the village was, or whether the incident is being investigated.

Operations against the group have picked up this month. Gunmen attacked an army position near Baiji on Sept. 19 while approaching two main power towers and were driven off, military intelligence arrested a man known as Abu Sahir in Kirkuk on Sept. 13 who it said held posts in the group when it controlled parts of Anbar, and Kurdistan Region forces held 22 suspects in four days across Sulaymaniyah and Halabja. The coalition mission ends on Sept. 30, and KRG Interior Minister Rebar Ahmed has urged Baghdad to avoid a security vacuum.