Two Iraqi Soldiers Killed, Two Wounded in ISIS Remnants Blast Near Rawa

Iraq’s Ministry of Defense announced on Sunday that two of its fighters were killed and two others wounded when an explosive device left behind by ISIS detonated during a search and inspection operation in the northern Rawa Desert.

The ministry said the incident occurred within the area of responsibility of the 27th Infantry Brigade as troops carried out a security mission. Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Yahya Rasoul Abdullah said the two wounded personnel were taken to a hospital for necessary medical treatment.

The blast comes days after Iraqi security forces foiled an attack in Alton Kupri, north of Kirkuk, killing two ISIS suicide operatives.

ISIS seized Mosul, the capital of Nineveh province, in 2014 and imposed strict rule while carrying out widespread abuses against civilians. Iraqi forces, backed by the international coalition, eventually defeated the group militarily and ended its territorial control in Iraq in 2017.