The Islamic State has launched attacks on Kurdish forces in and Iraq’s oil-rich city of Kirkuk, with scores of casualties reported.
The jihadists attacked with suicide bombs to the west and south of the city. One of the attacks killed prominent commander Sherko Shwani, known for his frequent TV appearances to comment on the war against the Islamic State.
Four ISIS suicide bombers broke into the Kirkuk Palace Hotel. One bomber died after detonating his payload, and the other three were killed after hours of fighting with security forces.
Asayish pictures from hotel targeted by IS with suicide bomber and gunmen in #Kirkuk #twitterkurds pic.twitter.com/XNXSK4qZqG
— Wladimir (@vvanwilgenburg) January 30, 2015
The bodies of the bombers were then dragged around the city:
Here is a photo of one of the suicide bombers in Kirkuk dragged behind a 4×4 vehicle pic.twitter.com/o0ESicI0HT
— Fazel Hawramy (@FazelHawramy) January 30, 2015
Kurdish officials claim that more than 40 Islamic State fighters have been slain and that all territory has been reclaimed. A reporter for the Kurdish outlet Rudaw said 15 bodies had been left behind by the jihadists on the southern front.
Heavy fighting was also reported east of Mosul, with 150 Islamic State troops challenging Kurdish peshmerga. In eastern Iraq, seven Peshmerga were killed in an Islamic State suicide attack near Jalawla.
Soon after the Islamic State offensive that swept through northern Iraq last June, Kurdish forces secured Kirkuk. The city has long been disputed between Arab, Kurdish, and Turkmen communities: