BAGHDAD, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Three civilians were killed and another was wounded Thursday in a car bomb explosion in Iraq's western province of Anbar, a provincial source said.
The incident took place when a booby-trapped car, apparently left by Islamic State (IS) militants, detonated on civilians collecting truffle in a desert area south of Rutba, some 300 km west the provincial capital Ramadi, Imad al-Dulaimi, mayor of Rutba, told Xinhua.
He said the car was exploded immediately when the truffle collectors tried to open its doors, killing three of them and wounding another who was later transported to a hospital to receive treatment.
The IS militants are still active in the vast Anbar desert that stretches to the border with neighboring countries of Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, as many civilians have been either kidnapped or killed by the extremist group in recent months.
In December 2017, Iraq declared full liberation from the IS after the security forces and the paramilitary Hashd Shaabi units, backed by the anti-IS international coalition, recaptured all areas once seized by the extremist group.
However, IS remnants have since melted in urban areas or resorted to deserts and rugged areas as safe havens, carrying out guerilla attacks from time to time against the security forces and civilians.
