The attack was repelled by local security forces, who said six of the militants had been killed in the operation. “Security forces, the peshmerga and the counter-terrorism forces have established complete control over the security situation in Kirkuk,” Najmeddine Karim, the city’s governor, said. Friday’s Isis attacks appeared to be aimed at distracting some of the forces arrayed for the assault on Mosul. But as Iraqi forces and allied militias advanced, concerns mounted over the fate of hundreds of thousands of civilians still trapped in and outside Mosul. Allegations have mounted in recent days of Isis using civilians as human shields as airstrikes and ground force advances continued.

Source: The Guardian October 21, 2016 05:46 UTC