In the past five days, three terrorists were killed in clashes with the Iraqi Security Forces ISF in the center of Kirkuk city in addition to bombings and airstrikes targeting hideouts of militants.
These security incidents occurred a month after the formation of the local government and amid escalating protests by three blocks in the provincial council against the governor's appointment and position distribution in in Kirkuk which has been safe stable last years.
On September 15, clashes occurred between Iraqi security forces and two gunmen near the Panja Ali Bazaar downtown of Kirkuk. Brigadier General Muqdad Miri, the spokesman for the Ministry of Interior and the Security Media Cell, stated that the individuals were "terrorists" wearing explosive belts.
“The Falcons Intelligence Cell successfully pursued and besieged the two terrorists in the Panja Ali area of Kirkuk Province. They were shot, causing their explosive belts to detonate and resulting in their deaths,” he added.
The northern oil-rich city of Kirkuk, located 238 kilometers north of Baghdad, is an ethnically mixed province with 1.7 million Kurds, Sunni and Shiite Arabs, and Turkmen. It has long been at the center of disputed territories between Baghdad and Erbil.
This incident coincided with celebrations of the Prophet Mohammed's birthday in various areas of Kirkuk, where large numbers of Muslims gathered in mosques.
On September 11, a force affiliated with the Iraqi National Security Service raided a house in the Sekanian neighborhood in Kirkuk city and clashed with two militants, one of the militants killed and the other injured was arrested, according to Brigadier Amer Shiwani, the Kirkuk police spokesman.
The militants who clashed with a force affiliated with the Iraqi National Security Service were wanted under the anti-terrorism law and are not drug dealers, said the Kirkuk police spokesman.
Meanwhile, on the province's borders, the Iraqi Air Force on September 15 conducted raids in Al-Ghara and Palkana areas near Tuz Khurmatu district of Salahaddin province, adjacent to Kirkuk, hideouts were destroyed and a large number of weapons seized.
On Monday, September 16, an explosive device detonated targeting a military vehicle belonging to the 20th Joint Brigade of the Iraqi army. This incident resulted in the amputation of the soldier's legs
