In Khanaqin, a predominantly Kurdish town in Diyala province, residents went on a general strike on Thursday to protest deteriorating security conditions and to call for the return of Peshmerga troops. Shops and offices were closed. The residents noted that there has been an increase in Islamic State attacks lately and they also suffer harassment from Shi’ite militias.
At least 24 people were killed, and five wounded in recent violence:
A passport official was assassinated in Babil province. The murder was caught on CCTV.
In Shirqat, an explosion in a booby-trapped tunnel killed three security personnel and wounded two more.
A roadside bomb in Khanaqin killed a teenage girl and wounded her brother.
In Tal al-Rumman, a civilian was shot dead.
Two soldiers were wounded in an attack on a checkpoint in Hawi al-Adhaim.
Turkish airstrikes in Gara killed 15 members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party.
Three militants were killed as they tried to enter Riyadh.
