- Title: Islamic State attacks Iraqi police near Najaf, kills seven
- Date: 1st January 2017
- Summary: AL-QADISIYA TOWN, WEST OF NAJAF, IRAQ (JANUARY 1, 2017) (REUTERS) PEOPLE GATHERED AT ATTACK SITE VARIOUS OF DAMAGED CHECKPOINT PEOPLE STANDING AT SITE PEOPLE STANDING NEXT TO CAR
- Embargoed: 16th January 2017 14:21
- Keywords: Iraq Islamic State Najaf. attack checkpoint Police
- Location: AL-QADISIYA TOWN, NEAR NAJAF, IRAQ
- City: AL-QADISIYA TOWN, NEAR NAJAF, IRAQ
- Country: Iraq
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace
- Reuters ID: LVA0015X90GG7
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Islamic State militants attacked a police checkpoint near the southern Iraqi city of Najaf on Sunday (January 1), killing seven policemen and wounding 17 others including civilians, local police sources said.
The assailants were travelling through the desert in two vehicles around al-Qadisiya town west of Najaf. When police stopped the first vehicle for inspection, the driver detonated an explosive load. The second vehicle fled and was stopped by police who killed the two militants inside.
Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement distributed online by supporters. It said four gunmen had opened fire before detonating explosive vests and then a fifth assailant launched a suicide car bomb.
It was not immediately possible to reconcile those accounts.
The Najaf attack followed blasts a day earlier in Baghdad that left 29 people dead, a reminder of Islamic State's continued ability to operate away from territory under its control. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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