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* Rare Attack in Erbil
* Suspected Islamic State
* Snipers, Suicide Attacks, Pomegranates (Adds Details on the Attack)
By Azad Lashkari
ERBIL, Iraq, July 23 (Reuters) – Kurdish security forces on Monday killed armed men who stormed a government building in the Kurdish town of Erbil and took hostages when they were killed. an attack suspected to be led by the Islamic State. Hand grenades, the attackers pulled their way into the building housing the governorate of the main gate and a side entrance.
According to preliminary investigations, a government employee was killed in four hours of clashes. Two policemen were injured.
The gunmen approached the building shortly before 8 am and opened fire, Erbil's deputy governor, Tahir Abdullah, told Reuters.
Seizing the third floor and taking an indeterminate number of hostages, the men shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is the greatest).
There were conflicting accounts on the details of the attack. Security officials said two of the men had committed suicide bombings.
But the governor of Erbil, Nawzad Hadi, said that none of the men blew themselves up. There were three attackers, he added.
The snipers took a stand on a nearby building in the busy commercial district of Erbil and opened fire on the militants. Hand grenades were thrown at the security forces.
THE ISLAMIC STATE SUSPECTED
"We believe that the attackers come from the Islamic State because of the tactics they used to enter the building through the main gate. Two gunmen used guns to shoot the guards, "said a security official.
Iraq announced in December that it had defeated the Islamic State. approached Erbil during a blitzkrieg in 2014 before being repulsed, but were driven out of the city of Mosul, about 85 km to the west of d bil d M M M M M Er Er Er Er Er Er Er Er. Erbil, a year ago after a long campaign backed by the West
The group is still conducting attacks in parts of Iraq, an OPEC oil producer and a
Such badaults are rare in Erbil, seat of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
The semi-autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq was already confronted with difficulties before the violence of Monday.
Last year, the Iraqi army and the militias allied to Iran canceled an o Kurdish freedom from the central government.
Tensions are strong between the two main Kurdish parties because of the difference over the problem of independence.
Kurdish security forces said the armed men, who spoke Kurdish, asked the women to leave and kept the men inside.
The Islamic State has in the past established units composed only of Kurdish militants who fought in Iraq and Syria. (Written by Michael Georgy, edited by Angus MacSwan)
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