*UPDATES WITH DAESH CLAIM OF RESPONSIBILITY
By Suleiman al-Qubaisi
ANBAR, Iraq (AA) – At least seven people were killed in a car bombing in Iraq’s western Anbar province on Wednesday, according to a local police officer.
A bomber rammed his explosive-laden vehicle into a security checkpoint manned by military forces and the pro-government Hashd al-Ashaeri militia at the southern entrance of Qaim city, Capt. Ahmed al-Dulaimi told Anadolu Agency.
He said two soldiers and three militia fighters were among those killed in the attack.
According to al-Dulaimi, 16 people, mostly civilians, were injured in the bombing.
Hashd al-Ashaeri is a militia composed of pro-government Sunni fighters.
Wednesday’s attack was quickly claimed by the Daesh terrorist organization.
In a statement cited by the group’s mouthpiece Amaq, Daesh said the attack targeted a headquarters of the Iraqi army forces and the Shia Hashd al-Shaabi militia.
Located near Syrian border, Qaim has been cleared from Daesh in 2017, three years after the terrorist group overran it, along with vast swathes of territory in northern and western Iraq.
Last December, officials in Baghdad declared that Daesh's military presence in Iraq had been all but dismantled over operations backed by the U.S.-led International Alliance. However, from time to time, Iraqi officials announce operations against Daesh-affiliated “sleeper cells ” in certain parts of the country.
