Unknown gunmen kill civilian, health worker in Kirkuk

Witnesses told Kurdistan 24 that gunmen, whose identities are unknown, fired automatic weapons at a car carrying a health worker and another civilian in the Adan district in southern Kirkuk.

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – Two people on Tuesday were killed in Kirkuk, according to eyewitnesses who reported armed men opened fire in the streets.

Witnesses told Kurdistan 24 that shooters, whose identities are unknown, fired automatic weapons at a car carrying a health worker and another civilian in the Adan district in southern Kirkuk.

The victims died on the scene as the incident took place overnight.

Assassinations, robberies, kidnappings, and other criminal activities are on the rise in Kirkuk since the Oct. 16 military takeover by Iraqi forces and Shia militias.

On the same night, armed men threw explosives at a building belonging to Arab Clans in central Kirkuk. No casualties were reported.

The incident comes at a time where the security situation in Kirkuk has deteriorated since the Iraqi army and Iranian-backed Shia Hashd al-Shaabi militias took over the disputed province from the Peshmerga.

Two days ago, a member of the Kurdish security service (Asayish) was kidnapped in Kirkuk Province by unknown gunmen.

A security source and witnesses, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Kurdistan 24 that unidentified gunmen riding in a civilian car kidnapped a member of the Asayish on Sunday night in the Runaki neighborhood, located in central Kirkuk.

Last week, another unidentified group assassinated a member of the Turkmen Front Party as well as a lawyer as strings of unclaimed attacks in the disputed area continue.

Iraqi Vice-President Ayad Allawi and Kurdish officials have warned that failure to address the security situation in Kirkuk would spark another conflict in the city.