An Islamic State fighter detonated himself feet away from journalists embedded with Iraqi soldiers, sending pieces of his body flying in all directions.
The bombing occurred near Hammam al-Alil, a town just south of Mosul, Iraq. Footage of the incident shows what appears to be Iraqi federal police with a TV crew, closing in on the ISIS fighter. The fighter then blows himself up before the police can reach him, sending his body parts across the field. Still shots taken from the video appear to show the bomber’s head flying off in the distance.
The curator of the Iraqi Day twitter account told The Daily Caller News Foundation that Kurdistan’s Rudaw TV broadcast the footage live. The affiliation of the reporters caught in the blast is unclear.
Footage of the aftermath shows a hole where the ISIS fighter detonated his bomb with his body parts strewn across the area. The journalists and Iraqi authorities were not injured, according to Iraqi Day, an Iraqi news twitter account.
The entire video can be watched below. WARNING: the content is extremely graphic.
WATCH: WARNING: Extremely graphic content:
The moment when a #ISIS suicide bomber detonated himself near #Iraqi soldiers and journalists in south #Mosul.
Luckily no one injured. pic.twitter.com/WGktpCms5u— Iraqi Day (@iraqi_day) April 24, 2017
Video of the suicide bomber that exploded near journalists and soldiers in Hammam Al-Alil south #Mosul. pic.twitter.com/Jrn617fnNk
— Iraqi Day (@iraqi_day) April 24, 2017
Iraq Security Forces (ISF) are in the midst of retaking west Mosul from remaining ISIS forces. Progress has been stifled due to the terrorist group’s use of suicide bombers, snipers and guerrilla tactics. The dilapidated streets and bombed-out buildings have forced the ISF to clear the city house-by-house and street-by-street.
The Daily Caller News Foundation’s Saagar Enjeti contributed to this report.
Send tips to russ@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.