An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) targeted an Iraqi Army vehicle today near Kirkuk during a military security patrol. The blast resulted in the immediate deaths of an Iraqi brigadier general and a soldier, alongside multiple injuries. This lethal strike marks the second similar attack recorded in the same vicinity near Kirkuk within this month. Security authorities deployed reinforcements to seal off the area and initiated a large-scale search operation to hunt down the perpetrators. The attack unfolds following the complete withdrawal of US forces on September 30, which has fueled heightened security concerns regarding potential ISIS resurgence and intensified movements by Iranian-aligned armed groups across the region [Source](https://www.google.com/search?q=)