The Iraqi city of Kirkuk has been hit by multiple attacks by ISIS fighters, sources said Friday.
Images broadcast on local television showed what appeared to be dead or injured fighters on the street. The attack comes as Iraqi and Kurdish forces battle ISIS militants in Iraq’s second-largest city of Mosul.
Kirkuk is about 175 kilometers (109 miles) southeast of Mosul.
Oil-rich Kirkuk has been attacked before by ISIS militants. The previous attacks on Kirkuk have been seen as attempts by ISIS to either capture the city or to divert Kurdish troops from the fight in Mosul.
The city’s significance stems from the fact its oil reserves are almost as much as those in southern Iraq.
Kirkuk is 378 kilometers (235 miles) north of Baghdad and has seen ISIS fighters pitted against the Peshmerga, Iraqi government troops and an international coalition.
Developing story – more to come