Three Iraqi border guard soldiers were killed in a mine explosion in Hewlêr (Erbil) in southern Kurdistan on Sunday. The explosion occurred in the morning while clearing a minefield set up by ISIS in the village of Kanî Qirjale, around twenty kilometers west of the city center of Hewlêr. Two of the deminers were killed on the spot, a third member of the army succumbed to his serious injuries in a hospital, according to the reports. A team of experts is now to investigate the incident.

A spokesman for the Iraqi Border Guard said that the deminers were wearing the necessary protective clothing. The explosive devices had already been discovered and marked earlier, and the team was only supposed to clear them. The minefield was laid in an area close to the headquarters of the Iraqi Border Guard units in the Hewlêr region.