Ambush by ISIS Kills 4 Iraqi Soldiers Near Kirkuk

An Iraqi military statement confirmed that four soldiers were killed and three others injured on Wednesday in an ambush set by ISIS fighters against a military convoy near the oil-rich city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq, according to Reuters. The ambush occurred in a rural area southwest of Kirkuk, which remains a hotspot for extremist activity years after Iraq declared a final victory over the group in 2017. Following ISIS’s defeat as a force capable of controlling vast territories, the group’s remnants shifted to guerrilla-style hit-and-run attacks against government forces in various parts of Iraq. Military officials said security forces were heading to an area about 45 kilometers southwest of Kirkuk to arrest a suspected extremist when they came under sniper and machine-gun fire. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, stating on Telegram that it had ambushed the army patrol using automatic weapons and grenades.