A curfew has been imposed in Iraq's northern city of Kirkuk following armed attacks on a number of buildings and a power station, according to security sources and local media.
Fighters armed with assault rifles and explosives attacked targets in and around the city early on Friday, in an assault quickly claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group.
In one of the attacks, at least three suicide bombers were killed as security forces foiled an attack on a former police complex in central Kirkuk.
Outside Kirkuk, gunmen killed at least 10 employees, including three Iranian nationals, in an attack on a power plant, according to authorities.
Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel-Hamid, reporting from outside the city, said intense exchange of gunfire was still taking place in several districts of Kirkuk.
"It is a very volatile situation," Abdel-Hamid said. "The residents of Kirkuk have been told to remain indoors until further notice."
According to our correspondent, "some of the ISIL fighters are holed up in one area in a school building, and in another area in a former police station".
A police colonel said at least six policemen and 12 ISIL "fighters" had been killed in the clashes, mostly in southern neighbourhoods, a toll confirmed by other officers, according to AFP news agency.
[aljazeera.com]
21/10/16
Fighters armed with assault rifles and explosives attacked targets in and around the city early on Friday, in an assault quickly claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group.
In one of the attacks, at least three suicide bombers were killed as security forces foiled an attack on a former police complex in central Kirkuk.
Outside Kirkuk, gunmen killed at least 10 employees, including three Iranian nationals, in an attack on a power plant, according to authorities.
Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel-Hamid, reporting from outside the city, said intense exchange of gunfire was still taking place in several districts of Kirkuk.
"It is a very volatile situation," Abdel-Hamid said. "The residents of Kirkuk have been told to remain indoors until further notice."
According to our correspondent, "some of the ISIL fighters are holed up in one area in a school building, and in another area in a former police station".
A police colonel said at least six policemen and 12 ISIL "fighters" had been killed in the clashes, mostly in southern neighbourhoods, a toll confirmed by other officers, according to AFP news agency.
[aljazeera.com]
21/10/16
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Bei einem Angriff der Terrormiliz "Islamischer Staat" auf die nordirakische Stadt Kirkuk und ein Kraftwerk in der Nähe sind mindestens 16 Menschen ums Leben gekommen...
ReplyDeleteDie Attacke kommt nur wenige Tage nach dem Beginn einer Anti-IS-Offensive auf die Stadt Mossul.
Kämpfer der Terrormiliz "Islamischer Staat" (IS) haben bei einem Angriff auf ein Kraftwerk nördlich der irakischen Stadt Kirkuk zahlreiche Menschen getötet. Drei Selbstmordattentäter hätten das im Bau befindliche Kraftwerk gestürmt und 16 Menschen getötet, erklärte Bürgermeister Abdullah Nur al-Din. Bei anschließenden Gefechten mit Sicherheitskräften sei ein Angreifer getötet worden, die beiden anderen hätten sich selbst in die Luft gesprengt. Bei den Opfern handele es sich um zwölf irakische und vier iranische Mitarbeiter des Kraftwerks.
Gleichzeitig griff der IS auch die Polizei in Kirkuk an. Schläferzellen der Extremisten hätten mehrere Stationen von Sicherheitskräften und andere Gebäude gestürmt, erklärte die Polizei. Die Kämpfe gingen weiter, neun Extremisten seien bislang getötet worden. Augenzeugen und ein AFP-Korrespondent berichteten über Dschihadistengruppen mit Granaten und Schusswaffen in mehreren Vierteln der Stadt.
Der IS übernahm über sein Sprachrohr Amak die Verantwortung für den Angriff. Kirkuk und das Umland wird von kurdischen Peschmerga-Kämpfern kontrolliert. Der Angriff der Extremisten kommt nur wenige Tage nach dem Beginn einer lang erwarteten Offensive auf die IS-Hochburg Mossul. Die Großstadt ist die letzte Bastion der Miliz im Irak.
tagesschau.de