ERBIL — An improvised explosive device (IED) went off overnight Saturday at the center of Tuz Khurmatu in south of Kirkuk, wounding several civilians, security source said.

The blast occurred near a police station, Tuz Khurmatu chief of police, Hussein Ali, told BasNews.

Investigations are underway now, Ali said, declining to elaborate.

Acts of terror have recently increased in Tuz Khurmatu where Islamic State (IS) sleeper cells are believed to have been regrouping.

The jihadists are said to be using a security vacuum in the region where the Iranian-backed militias of Hashd al-Shaabi controlled last year in October. The area was experiencing a period of stability prior to October 2017 when Kurdish Peshmerga forces were in charge.

Earlier the day, an explosion had occurred at the weapons cache belonging to Iraqi Hezbollah Movement which killed at least two people and left 30 others wounded.

The group later said the blast was possibly the result of an airstrike by unidentified warplanes.

Bas News