Soldier killed, another wounded in bomb blast north of Baghdad

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) An Iraqi army soldier was killed and another was wounded Tuesday when an explosive device hit their patrol in northern Baghdad, according to security.

Security sources quoted by news websites said the patrol was passing through al-Houra region, north of the capital, when a bomb placed on the side of the road exploded.

Nobody has claimed responsibility for the bombing, but Islamic State militants have said they had been responsible for several bloody explosions and attacks that targeted security members and civilians in the capital in the past months.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) says violence in the country left nearly 392 dead and 613 injured, excluding security members, during February. Baghdad was the second most affected province with 120 deaths and 300 injuries, according to the organization’s monthly casualty count.

Some observers believe Islamic State have begun to escalate attacks outside the city of Mosul, where the group has been losing ground and personnel since October, so as to relieve pressure by government forces on that front and to divert attention from group losses.