Suicide bombers in deadly raids in northern Iraq

Gunmen wearing suicide vests attacked government targets in the Kurdish-controlled city of Kirkuk and killed 16 at an Iranian-run construction site further north yesterday as troops advanced on Mosul

Kirkuk: Gunmen wearing suicide vests attacked government targets in the Kurdish-controlled city of Kirkuk and killed 16 at an Iranian-run construction site further north yesterday as troops advanced on Mosul.

There was no immediate claim for the attacks but nearly all such raids have been carried out by the Islamic State, which is attempting to defend its last major Iraqi stronghold against a massive military offensive.

In one attack, three bombers infiltrated a power plant being built by an Iranian company near Dibis, a town about 40 km northwest of Kirkuk. “Three suicide bombers attacked the power plant around 6 am (0830 IST), killing 12 Iraqi administrators and engineers and four Iranian technicians,” Dibis mayor Abdullah Nureddin al-Salehi said.

The mayor said the attack led to clashes with security forces, who managed to kill one of the bombers before he detonated his vest. The other two blew themselves after being surrounded, he added.

Hours earlier, a commando of suicide bombers armed with rifles attacked multiple locations in Kirkuk, security sources said.

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