Bomb blast kills policeman, injures 2 in eastern Iraq

By Hussein al-Amir

DIYALA, Iraq (AA) – An Iraqi policeman was killed and two others were injured in a roadside bomb blast in eastern Iraq on Tuesday, according to a local police officer.

The device exploded as a police patrol was passing north-east of Baquba city in Diyala province, Captain Habib al-Shammari told Anadolu Agency.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Al-Shammari said an investigation has been launched into the attack.

Attacks against security forces and civilians have been on the rise in Diyala province in eastern Iraq in recent weeks.

Last December, officials in Baghdad declared that the Daesh terrorist group's military presence in Iraq had been all but dismantled after a three-year war.

However, from time to time, Iraqi officials announce operations against Daesh-affiliated "sleeper cells" in certain parts of the country.