Militants attack police in northern Iraq

Gas flares in Kirkuk.
(Image credit: AFP/Getty Images)

Witnesses in Kirkuk, Iraq, say that armed militants attacked two police compounds on Friday morning, and they were able to hear gunfire and explosions.

The Islamic State claims their fighters are behind the assault, and the men have also entered a town hall and took control of a hotel, BBC News reports. Iraqi media is saying suicide bombers attacked police stations and a power plant, but security forces were able to protect the properties. They also reported the city is under a curfew until "further notice."

Kirkuk is an oil-rich city 180 miles north of Baghdad and 100 miles away from Mosul, where Iraqi forces on Monday began an offensive to get ISIS out of Iraq's second-largest city.

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Catherine Garcia

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.