Nine Iraqi policemen martyred in blast near northern city of Kirkuk

At least nine federal police officers were martyred, yesterday, in a bombing in north-central Iraq near the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, security officials said.

The bomb struck the policemen’s convoy near the village of Safra, about 30km (20 miles) southwest of Kirkuk, with two other officers critically injured.

A federal police officer told the AFP news agency that “a direct attack with small arms” followed the explosion.

ISIS said on its Telegram channel that it had carried out the attack, media outlets reported.