The military said an improvised explosive devise detonated as a team of Italian special forces passed close by They were in Iraq as part of an international training mission, which is helping local forces who are battling Daesh ROME: A roadside blast wounded five Italian military members on Sunday in northern Iraq as they returned from a mission aimed at helping Iraqi troops combat Daesh, Italian military officials said. The Italian Defense Ministry said three of the wounded were in “grave condition” after the explosion. Rear Admiral Fabio Agostini said the five — three members of the navy and two of the army — are part of a special forces team that was traveling back after a mission aimed at finding Daesh refugees. Agostini told Italian Rai state TV that Iraqi armed forces members were also injured in the blast but didn’t say how many. An Iraqi security official said the bomb exploded next to their vehicle as they were traveling just outside Kirkuk, wounding six Italian soldiers. The discrepancy in the number of wounded wasn’t immediately explained. Italy’s wounded were evacuated by US military helicopters to hospital in Baghdad. “Our men were training Iraqi security forces engaged in fighting Daesh,” Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said, using an alternate term for Daesh. “I am following the situation with sorrow and apprehension,” he wrote on Twitter. One Italian soldier lost a leg to amputation due to injuries from the bomb and another suffered serious internal injuries, Italian Gen. Nicola Lanza de Cristoforis told state TV. The blast happened three days before the 16th anniversary of a suicide attack in the southern Iraqi city of Nassiriya, which killed 18 Italian servicemen, an Italian civilian and nine Iraqi civilians. Iraq declared victory against Daesh militants two years ago, but the group continues to stage insurgent-type attacks across the country, particularly in northern Iraq. Italy currently has more than 800 regular soldiers and some 80 special forces in Iraq. (With AP and Reuters)