At least seven Iraqi soldiers have been killed after a bomb hit a military checkpoint south of the capital city of Baghdad.
An Iraqi source said the blast targeted a military checkpoint near Yusufiyah district to the south of Baghdad on Wednesday.
The explosion was carried out by a bomber wearing an explosive belt, the source said, adding that several people were also injured in the attack.
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack but Daesh Takfiri terrorists usually target military positions and civilians in the Arab country.
In another development on Wednesday, Iraqi security forces launched a wide-scale attack against a Daesh position in Albu Rishah district in the city of Ramadi in Anbar province, killing Fouad al-Ziabi, a senior commander of the group, and a number of his companions.
Iraqi forces gain further ground in Fallujah
Also on Wednesday, Iraqi media said that the country’s security forces managed to retake the districts of Resalah and Khadrah in southern Fallujah from the Daesh group.
The security forces also regained control of three areas in the town of Amiriyah to the south of Fallujah, leaving scores of Daesh terrorists dead.
Separately, Daesh executed 19 residents of Shirqat town to the south of Mosul city in Salahuddin province by firing squad for cooperating with and spying for security forces.
Gruesome violence has plagued the northern and western parts of Iraq ever since Daesh terrorists launched an offensive in June 2014, and took control of portions of the Iraqi territory.
The Iraqi army, backed by volunteer forces, has been engaged in extensive battles and made gains in pushing the militants out of the country’s cities and villages.