Four killed in roadside bomb explosion in Iraq

Baghdad: Three Iraqi soldiers and a civilian were killed in a roadside bomb explosion in Iraq’s western province of Anbar, a security source said.

The incident took place on Wednesday morning when a roadside bomb detonated near a vehicle carrying soldiers on a highway near the town of Rutba, nearly 390 km west of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, Lt. Col. Sabhan Jassim from the Iraqi Army told Xinhua.

The blast destroyed the vehicle, killing three soldiers and the driver, Jassim said, adding that the security forces have launched an investigation into the incident, Xinhua news agency reported.

The security situation in Iraq has been improving since the Iraqi forces defeated the Islamic State (IS) in 2017. However, IS remnants have since melted into urban centers, deserts and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians.