Eight people, military and civilians, were killed in an explosion of an IED planted when ISIS had control of Shingal, Shingal Police says.
The incident occurred today (17 January) in a village (Shara’ih) in Shingal district.
Natiq haji-Alo a spokesperson for Shingal Police, told KirkukNow that a demining and had gone to the village to remove a number of explosives, but it something went wrong and a premature explosion has taken place.
The spokesman added that the collected mines and other explosives were loaded into a pick-up truck for transportation, but for an unknown reason an explosion took place.
“Eight people died in the incident. Seven of them are members of the army’s demining team of engineers, and the other is a civilian,” he said.
Two other people are injured and have been taken to a hospital.
Among those killed was an army lieutenant colonel named Haydar Adil Arkawazi. He was from Khanaqin.
ISIS militants placed countless IEDs in the areas they controlled, especially in Shingal and Tal Afar districts. Many of those bombs still lay dormant among the ruins. Many of the returning IDPs have been killed or maimed by them.
According to an estimation by the UN, cleared Mosul City of IEDs and other explosives will take at least eight years.
