Iraqi refugee convoy struck by roadside bombs

Seventeen people have reportedly been killed after roadside bombs hit convy travelling to Al Alam

The conflict in Iraq has displaced thousands of people since 2014
The conflict in Iraq has displaced thousands of people since 2014

A convoy carrying Iraqi families fleeing an Islamic State-controlled town in Northern Iraq was struck by two roadside bombs late on Friday night, killing 18 people, officials have said.

The truck was carrying people from Hawija, about 120km south of Mosul, to the town of Al Alam, close vicinity of the Tigris river.

A policeman who was accompanying the convoy was killed in the blast together with 17 civilians from displaced families.

Pictures published on social media by a group linked to Iraq's defense ministry showed several blackened corpses next to the twisted metal remains of the truck.