Two assailants arrested after storming municipal building in Iraq’s Erbil
Unidentified gunmen during an armed attack. File photo.
Erbil (IraqiNews.com) – Two gunmen have opened fire at a municipal building in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, with no damage reported, a security source was quoted as saying Tuesday.
“The security forces managed to arrest the pair, who stormed the building of municipality no. 1 in Erbil,” the source told Baghdad Today, without giving further details.
The attack comes a day after Kurdish security forces reportedly killed two of three attackers who stormed the Erbil governorate building, and arrested a third, who was wounded.
Kurdish media reports said later, however, that all of the three assailants were killed.
Iraq is still witnessing militant attacks against security forces and civilians even after declaring the defeat of Islamic State militants last year.
Kurdistan’s security situation witnessed tensions after a standoff with Iraqi security forces which took over areas disputed by the central government in Baghdad and Erbil in response to a referendum in which a majority in Kurdistan Region voted for independence from Iraq.
Kurds voted overwhelmingly to break away from Iraq in a referendum held on Sept. 25, defying the central government in Baghdad as well as neighboring Turkey and Iran who have their own Kurdish minorities.