ISIS claims suicide attack targeting Kirkuk’s intelligence headquarters

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – An Islamic State suicide attacker with explosive belts detonated himself on Tuesday while attempting to penetrate Kirkuk’s intelligence headquarters, resulting in four injuries to intelligence members.  

The suicide attack comes as the province of Kirkuk eased its COVID-19 lockdown measures last week when the infections rate declined significantly.

“Overall, four members of the intelligence community got injured in the attack,” a source at the site of the incident told Kurdistan 24.

The intelligence headquarters is located in the Qadisya neighborhood, southeastern Kirkuk province.

According to the source, “the suicide attacker attempted to penetrate the building, but the security guards at the entrance started shooting him, making him detonate himself, resulting in injuries to the security guards.”

The so-called Islamic State later claimed responsibility for the attack. The source added that the intelligence directorate had prior information on the assault.

The intelligence headquarters has been the prime focus of terrorist attacks, particularly ones by the self-proclaimed Islamic State. In 2013, a group of suicide bombers and gunmen attacked the building and engaged in a fierce fight, causing causalities and physical damages.

Following its territorial defeat, the Islamic State’s remnants have recently regrouped and initiated a series of attacks on both Peshmerga forces as well as the Iraqi army.

There have been repeated calls from top Kurdistan Region officials and Peshmerga troops to both the Iraqi government and the international community on the terror group’s strong re-emergence in the disputed territories.

Read More: Peshmerga official warns terrorist activity growing as ISIS claims attack in Kirkuk

Meanwhile, Bashir Hadad, the Deputy Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, called for further cooperation between the Peshmerga and Iraqi forces in Kirkuk to address the security vacuum. 

“The Iraqi army and the Peshmerga troops have to be deployed to the Kurdistani territories,” Haddad said in a statement following the condemnation of the attack.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany

[CORRECTION: An earlier version of this report incorrectely reported that two Islamic State members were involved in the attack.]