MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Iraqi civilians fleeing the Hawijah area controlled by Islamic State (Daesh) jihadists were being transported by police to the west of the country when the bomb hit the police vehicle, Hassan said as cited by the Al Arabiya broadcaster on Saturday.
According to Hassan, 12 civilians and one policeman were killed. A number of civilians and policemen were injured in the explosion.
The radical Sunni Daesh group, outlawed in numerous countries throughout the world, has taken control of vast areas in Iraq and Syria, forcing thousands of people, particularly religious minorities, to flee their homes.
Hawijah, located in Iraq's Kirkuk province, was seized by Daesh in 2014.
