Multiple casualties as bombing rocks Najaf neighborhood

An Iraqi man carry a wounded man after a bomb exploded in Qadisiyah district of Iraq's Najaf Province on January 01, 2017.

A car bomb has exploded in a district of Iraq’s Najaf Province, leaving at least six people dead and 22 others wounded.

Local media reported that the incident took place in Qadisiyah district on Sunday, with both  security forces and civilians believed to be among the casualties.

Separately, gunmen raided a checkpoint in Najaf’s al-Meshkhab area, but the number of possible casualties remains unclear.

Meanwhile, local sources have reported several mortar attacks around Najaf Province.

The Daesh terror group has claimed responsibility for the bomb attack. The terrorists have in recent months increased their acts of violence across Iraq in revenge for the blows they have been taking from Iraqi armed forces in the battle for the liberation of Mosul.

On Saturday, the capital Baghdad also witnessed bloodshed. At least 28 people lost their lives in a bomb explosion at a crowded market. The attack was later claimed by Daesh.

Iraqi security forces gather at the site of a bomb attack at a market in central Baghdad, Iraq, December 31, 2016. (Photo by Reuters)

In another development on Saturday, an improvised explosive device went off in the district of Yarmuk in western Baghdad, leaving a civilian wounded.

Two more people were also injured after a magnetic bomb exploded on al-Qanat Highway in eastern Baghdad

Meanwhile, Baghdad Operations Command spokesman Brigadier General Saad Maan said that five booby-traps had exploded in northwestern Baghdad, killing one person and hurting six others.

Data from monthly reports issued by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) shows that acts of terrorism killed a total of 12,038 Iraqis and injured 14,411 others in 2016.

Iraqi forces advance on Mosul, kill Takfiris

On Saturday, Iraqi forces made fresh gains against Takfiri militants in their push to liberate the northern city of Mosul, the last Daesh stronghold in the country, killing some 200 terrorists.

The commander of Nineveh Liberation Operation, Lieutenant General Abdul Amir Yarallah, said a unit of the Iraqi army had hoisted the national flag over buildings in the village of Arkub, situated in the north of Hudaba neighborhood.

The Arabic-language al-Forat news agency also reported that members of the Popular Mobilization Units, backed by federal police forces, retook the village of Shukran after engaging terrorists and killing a large number of them.

Iraqi forces take position as they advance in Mosul's eastern Intisar neighborhood on December 31, 2016. (Photo by AFP)

Meanwhile, Iraq’s War Media Cell said policemen had clashed with Daesh elements in Mosul’s southeast, releasing several trapped locals.

Separately, Iraq’s Defense Ministry reported that two militant mortar firing positions and six vehicles had been destroyed in Arkub. Some 55 militants died on the northern front of the Mosul battle.

On the eastern front, two explosives-laden vehicles were destroyed and 45 militants were killed in clashes with Iraqi army soldiers.

In southern Mosul, federal police forces got rid of seven explosives-packed vehicles and killed 86 Daesh terrorists.

Iraqi army troops and allied fighters launched a long-awaited operation to recapture Mosul on October 17.

Defeating Daesh in the city would be a major blow to the Takfiri outfit that began its campaign of terror in northern and western Iraq more than two years ago. 

Earlier this week, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said it would take three months to rid the country of Daesh.