CAIRO, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Egypt strongly condemned the recent deadly mortar attack launched by the Islamic State (IS) militant group on a football field in Iraq's northern province of Kirkuk, Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
"The Egyptian government and people stand in solidarity with their Iraqi counterparts in confronting all forms of terrorism, extremism and violence," said the ministry statement.
At least six people were killed and several others wounded in the IS attack using RPG-7 grenade launchers on the football field in southern Kirkuk on Saturday evening.
The security situation in Iraq was significantly improved after Iraqi security forces completely defeated the IS militants across the country in late 2017.
Since then, IS remnants have hidden in urban areas or used deserts and rugged areas as safe havens, carrying out frequent hit-and-run attacks against security forces and civilians.
Egypt also has been suffering terrorist attacks carried out by a Sinai-based group loyal to the IS, which left hundreds of policemen, soldiers and civilians dead over the past few years, particularly after the 2013 military ouster of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi.
Meanwhile, the Egyptian police and army killed hundreds of militants and arrested thousands of suspected terrorists since Morsi's ouster.
