KIRKUK, Iraq: Militants have killed three village chiefs in less than a week in Iraq´s restive north, local officials said Saturday, as the targeting of state representatives escalates.
Iraq declared victory against the Islamic State group last year, but small militant cells still wage attacks, especially in mountainous areas like the northern province of Kirkuk.
There, IS has attacked state infrastructure and government officials, especially targeting local administrative heads known as "mukhtars."
The latest victim, on Friday night, was mukhtar of the village of Mahmudiya near the town of Hawija. The town has long been a bastion of radical Sunni Muslim groups and was one of the last IS holdouts retaken by government troops last year.
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Deby has promised to bolster security, strengthen the rule of law and increase electricity production
Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said the attack took place near the village of Berezovka
Under Iraqi law, terrorism and murder offences are punishable by death
The Turkish defence ministry said the PKK militants had been “neutralised” in the Hakurk region
According to Italian broadcaster RAI, the workers suffered from toxic gas poisoning