Blast Kills Four Refugees Trying to Escape From Daesh-Held Area in Northern Iraq

Four refugees trying to escape from the territories controlled by Daesh were killed by a blast in northern Iraq.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – A group of refugees from Daesh-held Hawija city was hit by the explosion in the Saladin province, the Anadolu news agency reported on Saturday.

"The bombing has left eight other refugees injured," Iraqi First Lieutenant Sermed Khafaji told Anadolu.

He added that terrorists staged landmines to prevent civilians from leaving Daesh-controlled areas.

Many cities in western and northern Iraq including Mosul, the country’s second largest city, were seized by the Daesh terrorist group, which is outlawed in Russia and many other countries, in 2014.

Since 2015, the Iraqi army, supported by the US-led international coalition as well as Kurdish forces, has managed to retake some territories occupied by Daesh terrorists. The operation aimed at liberation of Mosul is underway.