Two footballers from the Bashir sports team were killed and four others wounded when an improvised explosive device (IED) blew up near their bus, the Iraqi police in Kirkuk province said Saturday (January 12th).
The footballers were leaving a stadium where the Kirkuk football championship is played.
"An improvised explosive device (IED) targeted a bus carrying members of the Bashir team after a match they played in Hozayran neighbourhood, southern Kirkuk, on Friday night," police spokesperson Col. Salam al-Jaf told Al-Shorfa.
The wounded players are in critical condition and were taken to intensive care, he said.
According to al-Jaf, the attack is a part of a "series of terrorist attacks" armed groups launch against athletes from time to time.