Kurdish security forces killed the three militants who attacked the building of governorate of Erbil on Monday morning. According to a statement from the Kurdish security forces, the three gunmen entered the building around 7:00 am, before the official working hours, saying that they are supervisors.
The gunmen, who controlled the third floor of the building, killed one of the employees in the building and injured four policemen. The security forces evacuated the streets around the building that is located in the centre of the city.
In a press statement following the operation, Tariq Nouri, the general director of Erbil security, said that the three attackers had been identified as Erbil natives and residents.
Erbil’s Deputy Governor Tahir Abdullah said, “the motive behind the attack is unclear. It may or may not be a terrorist attack,” according to Kurdish official media. Reuters added that the three gunmen took over the arms of the guards and chanted “Allah Akbar.”
No groups or movements claimed responsibility for the attack that happened in one of the safest and quietest cities in Iraq, which rarely witnesses such incidents. Erbil is the capital of the self-ruled region of Iraqi Kurdistan. The region witnessed in the past few years a number of attacks by the Islamic State militant group.
