ISIS suicide bombers and gunmen attacked several key targets in and around the city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq today, in a daring early morning assault that is testing the Iraqi security forces’ ability to respond on multiple fronts as the government concentrates its efforts on seizing the city of Mosul.
The ISIS militants struck three police stations, the headquarters of a Kurdish political party, and a power plant. Security forces continued to battle the attackers late into the morning. At least 11 workers, including two Iranians, were killed when several militants stormed a power plant north of Kirkuk and then blew themselves up.
Kirkuk is located about 100 miles southeast of Mosul, were 28,000 Iraqi troops are battling to take control of the city more that two years after it was overrun by ISIS.
ISIS said it was behind the attack in Kirkuk, claiming its fighters had broken into the headquarters of the PUK, a Kurdish political party, and taken control of a hotel. A curfew has been imposed in Kirkuk “until further notice,” Iraqi media said. A local TV channel showed footage of black smoke rising over the Kirkuk, with automatic gunfire audible.
Meanwhile, Iraqi Security Forces continued to press closer to Mosul on Friday, taking control of the village of Nanaah, south of the city.
ISIS fighters were reported to have set fire to a chemical plant south of Mosul as they were retreating on Thursday. Sources say they started the fire at the sulfur plant in al-Mishraq deliberately when they were being pushed out of the area by the Iraqi security services during the attack.
Yesterday, a U.S. service member was killed when the armored vehicle he was traveling in was struck by an IED and rolled over. He was traveling with Iraqi special forces northeast of Mosul. He was sent to Erbil for treatment and died of his injuries. The service member’s name and branch of service has not yet been released as family is being notified.
