Six die in northern Kirkuk, as ISIS militants fight bloody war in Iraq
Kirkuk has witnessed the first terror act since it came under the Kurds’ authority, and this comes as the oil-rich region is surrounded by blood-thirsty ISIS fighters. The latest deadly bombing claimed at least six lives.
The officials said that a suicide bomber was seen on the street wearing an explosive-stuffed vest. He was actually aiming for the building of a Kurdish political party office, RT’s Lucy Kafanov, who’s in violence-hit Kirkuk, said.
Apparently, the authorities attempted to intercept the man, and that’s when he detonated the device. It was during rush hour late on Tuesday evening.
No one has claimed responsibility for the blast yet. However, there are fears that the ISIS (or ISIL, the terrorist group Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) is behind the blast. Oil-rich Kirkuk is an area disputed between Arabs and Kurds.
READ: 'It fell on deaf ears': CIA and MI6 knew about ISIS assault in advance, failed to react
On Wednesday, Kafanov had a chance to speak to the governor of the Kirkuk province, who told her that Kirkuk was a very calm city and there haven’t been any problems with attacks, and that security was only getting better.
During Lucy Kafanov’s report, loud gunfire can be heard, and the
cameraman almost stops rolling: it was clearly dangerous to be at
the scene, and it wasn’t immediately clear what was going on.
The town of Kirkuk is home to a variety of people: Kurds, Arabs, Sunnis, Shiites, Christians, and Turkmen.
Despite the governor’s assertions, the city has seen a lot of violence, and ever more so since the ISIS terrorist group began its advance through the country, with the Iraqi army basically fleeing from the militants.
The deadly blast follows attacks by ISIS militants on oilfields and the country’s largest air bases in the north on Wednesday.
The Sunni militants are spearheaded by ISIS, who blame the Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki for marginalizing their sect during his eight years in power. The violence has been raging across the country’s North and West, with militants seizing control of cities and towns.
READ: 'Allah chose you': ISIS & other jihadist groups recruit children in Syria for suicide missions
US Secretary of State John Kerry demanded that Iraqi officials form an "inclusive" government during a visit this week, and also urged leaders of the autonomous Kurdish region to stand with Baghdad against the onslaught.
Within a week, a parliament session will take place to start the process of forming a new government based on the results of elections held in April.
Maliki's Shiite-led State of Law coalition won the most seats, but needs the support of other Shiite groups, Sunnis and Kurds to build a government.
Over 1,000 people, mainly civilians, have been killed during the bloodbath wreaked by the Sunni terrorists, the UN reported.
