Kirkuk ( Iraq ) - (AFP) - Two Iraqi soldiers were killed and three others were wounded in an explosive device attack targeting their vehicles in the Kirkuk governorate in northern Iraq, two security sources told AFP on Thursday, holding the responsibility for this to the "Islamic State" organization.

The attack, which has not been claimed by any party yet, took place on Wednesday night in the village of Al-Sahel in the Dibis district of Kirkuk.

A security source in the province, who preferred not to be identified, said that "elements" of ISIS "detonated two explosive devices targeting two military Hummers," before opening fire with "machine guns."
He added that two soldiers were killed in the attack and three others were wounded.

Another security source confirmed the attack and the outcome.

The attack took place in an area between Kirkuk, which is administered by the federal government, and Erbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdistan region, and is among the areas disputed by the two parties. The organization launches attacks in those areas from time to time, while the authorities of the two regions are trying to enhance cooperation between their forces in order to avoid any security vacuum that the jihadists might exploit.

This attack comes after an ambush claimed by the "Islamic State" organization, which resulted in the death of nine members of the Iraqi Federal Police in Kirkuk on Sunday.

In 2014, ISIS took control of large areas in Iraq and neighboring Syria, but was defeated in the two countries in 2017 and 2019, respectively.

And while Iraq declared "victory" over ISIS in 2017, its elements are still active in rural and remote areas of the country.

The Iraqi security forces continuously launch operations against these cells, and from time to time announce the killing of dozens of jihadists with air strikes or ground raids.

The border between Syria and Iraq continues to "constitute a major area of vulnerability" exploited by the organization, which has "between 6,000 and 10,000 fighters spread across the two countries, most of whom are concentrated in rural areas, most of whom are estimated to be Syrian and Iraqi nationals," according to a Security Council report. International published in July 2022.

During a meeting of the country's security leaders on Wednesday, Prime Minister Mohamed Shiaa al-Sudani directed "military leaders to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the plans drawn up and to change military tactics in areas witnessing activities of terrorist remnants," according to a statement issued by his office.

He said in a speech on Monday night that there are "mistakes made by the security services. There is a clear defect that led to this incident, and there must be accountability."