Six injured and at least one Iraqi fighter killed in explosion north of Baghdad

Two different explosive devices were detonated at the checkpoint on Saturday evening, according to the Iraqi Security Media Cell.

A view of a damaged building following missile attacks, in Erbil, Iraq, January 16, 2024 (photo credit: REUTERS/AZAD LASHKARI)
A view of a damaged building following missile attacks, in Erbil, Iraq, January 16, 2024
(photo credit: REUTERS/AZAD LASHKARI)

In Khan Beni Saad, some 50 kilometers (about 31.07 mi) north of Baghdad, an explosive device killed at least one Iraqi Sunni fighter and injured at least six others at a checkpoint, security officials said Sunday.  

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Two different explosive devices were detonated at the checkpoint on Saturday evening, according to the Iraqi Security Media Cell, an official entity responsible for providing security information and updates to the public and media.  

The organization initially reported on the attack, claiming that only one person died and four others suffered minor injuries. 

Competing accounts

Currently, there are competing accounts from different medical and security sources on the casualty count and how the attack exactly transpired.  

Iraqi security forces pull down a flag belonging to Sunni militant group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) during a patrol in the town of Dalli Abbas in Diyala province, June 30, 2014 (credit: REUTERS/STRINGER)
Iraqi security forces pull down a flag belonging to Sunni militant group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) during a patrol in the town of Dalli Abbas in Diyala province, June 30, 2014 (credit: REUTERS/STRINGER)

Three sources familiar with the situation told Reuters that the explosion killed five Iraqi soldiers and two fighters with Sahwa, a Sunni tribal militia aligned with the government in Baghdad. One non-combatant civilian was also reported to have been killed in the blast.  

As of Sunday, no internal or external actor had claimed responsibility for the attack.