BAGHDAD: A man wearing an explosives belt blew himself up Friday while a security force was trying to arrest him in western Iraq near the Syrian border, killing himself and wounding two security members, an Iraqi security official said.
The raid was being conducted in the Al-Khaseem area in Qaim district that borders Syria, said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
The official added that “preliminary information” confirms that no members of the security forces were killed, while two personnel were injured and transferred for medical treatment.
Iraq’s National Security Agency said in a statement that its members besieged a hideout of a Daesh group security official and two of his bodyguards. One bodyguard ignited his explosives belt, killing him. It gave no further details.
Daesh once controlled large parts of Syria and Iraq and declared a caliphate in 2014. The extremist group was defeated on the battlefield in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019 but its sleeper cells still carry out deadly attacks in both countries.
In December, two US service members and an American civilian were killed in an attack in Syria that the United States blamed on Daesh. The US carried out strikes on Syria days later in retaliation.
US and Iraqi authorities in January began transferring hundreds of the nearly 9,000 Daesh members held in jails run by the US-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in northeast Syria to Iraq, where Iraqi authorities plan to prosecute them.
A man detonates explosive belt during arrest attempt in Iraq, injuring 2 security members
https://arab.news/y88dx
A man detonates explosive belt during arrest attempt in Iraq, injuring 2 security members
- The raid was being conducted in the Al-Khaseem area in Qaim district that borders Syria
- No members of the security forces were killed
UAE air defences intercept 12 ballistic missiles, 17 drones
DUBAI: UAE air defenses on Monday detected 15 ballistic missiles, of which 12 were destroyed, while 3 missiles fell into the sea, the ministry of defense said in a statement on ‘X’.
A total of 18 drones were also detected, with 17 intercepted, while 1 fell within the country’s territory.
Since the start of the Iranian attacks, 253 ballistic missiles have been detected. Of these, 233 were destroyed, 18 fell into the sea, and 2 landed within the country.
A total of 1,440 Iranian drones have also been detected, of which 1,359 were intercepted, while 81 fell within the country’s territory. 8 cruise missiles were also detected and destroyed.
These attacks resulted in 4 deaths among Pakistani, Nepalese and Bangladeshi nationals, and 117 people sustained minor injuries.
The Ministry of Defense affirmed that it remains fully prepared to deal with any threats and will respond firmly to any attempts to undermine the country’s security, ensuring the protection of its sovereignty, security and stability, and safeguarding its national interests and capabilities.
