Gunmen attack gov't buildings in northern Iraq, 15 killed

English>>World

Editor's Pick

Gunmen attack gov't buildings in northern Iraq, 15 killed

(Xinhua) 20:45, September 25, 2013

Email|Print|Comments

twitter

facebook

Sina Microblog

A group of insurgents on Wednesday carried out a coordinated gunfire and car bomb attack on government facilities and security forces in the Hawijah city in Iraq's oil-rich province of Kirkuk, killing 15 people and wounding 30 others.

The attacks occurred at noon in Hawijah, some 60 km west of the capital city of Kirkuk, when insurgents blew up a car bomb near a police station while two suicide car bombers struck the entrance of the city council building and another police station, local police source said told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

In the meantime, six mortar rounds landed on the police headquarters nearby the city council building, the source said, adding that the assaults were immediately followed by an attack of dozens of gunmen on the city council buildings, sparking fierce clashes with the security forces.

The attacks left 15 dead, including seven civilians, and 30 others injured, according to the source.

Iraqi security forces, which have retaken control over the security situation in the city, are conducting search operations to looking for possible remaining militants.

Iraq is witnessing its worst eruption of violence in recent years, which raises fears that the country is sliding back to full- blown civil conflict that peaked in 2006 and 2007, when monthly death toll sometimes exceeded 3,000.

（Editor：GaoYinan、Wang Jinxue）