At least four killed after six blasts strike Iraq's Kirkuk

Iraqi security officials say a series of explosions in the northern city of Kirkuk has killed at least four people and wounded 23.

The officials said the six blasts went off in quick succession Thursday night after iftar, the meal that breaks daylong fasting during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. They struck the centre of the city when streets are typically crowded.

The nature of the blasts was not immediately clear, but the officials said they appeared to be improvised explosive devices. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

Iraq declared victory against Daesh in 2017, but the terrorist group continues to carry out attacks through sleeper cells, particularly in the country's north.

Daesh sets fire to cropland in Kirkuk

Members of the Daesh terrorist group set fire to farmland overnight in a village in Iraq’s Kirkuk province, police said on Thursday.

The militants torched crops in the small village of Haftaghar, located 35 km (around 22 miles) south of Kirkuk city, and attacked farmers who attempted to put out the fire.

“There was one killed and seven injured by Daesh terrorists,” Kirkuk Police Chief Ali Kamal told Anadolu Agency.

The Federal Police got involved in the hunt for the terrorists, he said.

Daesh attacks on farmers and agricultural land have increased considerably, with thousands of acres destroyed in the past 10 days, Kamal said.

“They burnt 800 acres of crops in just one day and ambushed those who rushed to put out the fire,” said Khiwa Sabri, a local resident.

The terrorists have been setting fire to crops for days, a major source of income for locals, as punishment for their disobedience, Kirkuk Governor Rakan Said told Anadolu Agency.

They have been demanding that villagers pay taxes or see their crops burned down.

In mid-2014, Daesh overran roughly one-third of Iraq, including the northern city of Mosul.

By late 2017, the Iraqi army, with the help of a US-led military coalition, had managed to recover most if not all lost territories from the terrorist group.

Although officials in Baghdad say Daesh’s presence in the country has been largely eradicated, the group continues to carry out sporadic attacks in Iraq's Nineveh, Kirkuk, Diyala, Saladin and Anbar provinces.