KIRKUK – Five people were killed and dozens more wounded on Wednesday as gunmen attacked the intelligence headquarters in Kirkuk, the police said.

“The fight is very intense and the terrorists have heavy weapons,” Kirkuk districts police chief, Sarhad Qadir told Rudaw.

Rudaw correspondent on the scene said that the gunmen had taken position inside the intelligence compound and snipers fired on security and police forces from the rooftop.

“Because of the snipers, we could not launch an attack on the intelligence office during the day and we had to wait till nightfall," said Lieutenant Colonel Azad Ramazan.

Sabah Amin, head of Kirkuk department of health said that five people were killed in the confrontation, among them security officers and first aid responders, and more than 60 people were injured.

As the fighting continued anti-terror forces were sent from the autonomous Kurdistan Region to help the local police flush out the gunmen.

"Kurdish anti-terror forces have been dispatched to Kirkuk at the request of Kirkuk security officials," said Lahor Sheikh Jangi, the head of Kurdistan intelligence department.

The gunmen managed to storm and control the intelligence headquarters after they attacked with suicide bombers and heavy gunfire.

Ahmad Askari, head of Kirkuk provincial security committee said that the security forces have managed to free 11 people who were taken hostage by the gunmen.

Brigadier Qadir said that some of the gunmen had withdrawn into the neighborhood from where they engaged the security forces in a street fight.

“The fighting has died down and police and security forces are now in control of the intelligence compound,” Salah Dalo, a Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) official in Kirkuk told Rudaw.

As some of the victims were sent to Erbil hospitals, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani said, "The security situation in Kirkuk and the rest of Iraq has worsened and the KRG is ready to cooperate with all parties to confront terrorism,"

Earlier in the day reports came out that Kurdish Peshmerga forces had been sent to Kirkuk to help local security forces. But the ministry spokesman Jabbar Yawar said, "No Peshmerga forces are inside Kirkuk, otherwise they can control the situation in a case like this,"


RUDAW