13 killed in northern Iraq's Kirkuk after IS gunmen open fire at police checkpoint

Thirteen police personnel have been killed in an attack in Northern Iraq. According to AP, the police personnel were killed when gunmen opened fire at a police checkpoint in northern Iraq, sparking clashes between police personnel and the attackers. The attack took place on Saturday at the checkpoint in Satiha village, Kirkuk province. 

Police personnel killed in Northern Iraq

A security official who spoke on the condition of anonymity informed that 13 policemen were killed while five police cops have been injured in the attack, according to AP. The security official revealed that the clashes between police personnel and the militants lasted for about an hour. The security official has blamed the attack on Islamic State militants, however, the militant group has not claimed responsibility for the attack. 

According to The Associated Press, the Iraqi forces have been carrying out operations against Islamic State militants in the northern region and the deserts of western Iraq. This is not the first time that an attack has been carried out in northern Iraq. Earlier in July, an attack was carried out amidst a funeral procession in northern Iraq. Iraqi military in a statement had informed that a "terrorist" attack was reported in the region, as per the Associated Press. An Iraqi security official on the condition of anonymity told The Associated Press that eight people had been killed as the armed militants had opened fire on the crowd. The official further informed that the attack was carried out by the Islamic State group.

Meanwhile, on August 29, French President Emmanuel Macron visited the northern city of Mosul in Iraq. Mosul also suffered widespread destruction during the war to defeat the IS in 2017 and Macron, on his Sunday visit, pledged to fight shoulder-to-shoulder with the regional governments against terrorism. The French president also said that IS carried out the deadly attacks across the globe from its self-declared caliphate in parts of Syria and Iraq. As per The Associated Press, Macron said that IS did not differentiate between the religion and nationality of the people when it came to victims of the attacks. Furthermore, the French president noted that the IS-led attacks killed several Muslims.

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Inputs from AP