Nine Iraqi federal police were wounded by a mortar attack on Wednesday morning in Rokhana valley of Daquq district, southwest of Kirkuk, a security official anonymously said.
Iraqi troops were sweeping the area in search of IS militants in a two-day campaign, the sourced added. The extremist militants are lately regrouping in the region and targeting security forces deployed in the southern outskirts of Kirkuk.
Two of the wounded are in critical condition and were transferred to Kirkuk hospital, a source in Daquq hospital told KirkukNow.
Daquq district, southwest of Kirkuk is home for Kaka'i, or Yarsanism, a secretive monotheist spiritual religion which has not been officially recognized in the Iraqi constitution. Their villages are a target for extremist Islamic militants of ISIS whom accused Kak’is of being defectors.
The security forces talked to KirkukNow said they have found out three hideouts and several small tunnels for IS militants.
In two earlier attacks by IS fighters, three deferral police were killed and four were wounded.
Iraqi PM Mustafa AlKadhimi announced in January the murder of key figure of ISIS in Iraq Abu Yasser Al-Issawi, ISIS Deputy Caliph in Iraq, in an operation by Iraqi forces south of Kirkuk. The operation came in response to Baghdad January double suicide booming, killed 32 civilians and injured more than 100.
Last week, Iraqi minister of interior has criticized senior security officials in the oil rich city of Kirkuk for security gap and improper coordination and exchange of intelligence information as threats by ISIS were escalating lately in the southern outskirts of Kirkuk northern province.
Kirkuk is home Kurds, Arabs and Turkmen. Baghdad and Erbil dispute over administration of the city despite outline map for the region under article 140 of Iraqi constitution. Currently Kirkuk joint operations’ command embrac64895es Iraqi army, local and federal police and Popular Mobilization Forces PMF security of the province supported by Iraqi army.
