KIRKUK: Iraqi Kurdish forces repelled a major attack by the Islamic State militant group in Kirkuk province that killed a top officer on Friday, while violence elsewhere left at least 19 people dead.

The IS assault on areas south and west of the northern city of Kirkuk began at around midnight, sparking fighting with medium and heavy weapons in which the militants were ultimately held off.

Kirkuk Governor Najm al Din Karim said Kurdish forces, supported by US-led air strikes, “foiled the Daesh (IS) attacks” which were “carried out towards oil and gas facilities and stations... from three directions leading to the city of Kirkuk. “Damage to Kirkuk oil facilities would pose a serious problem for Iraq, which is counting on crude exports of 300,000 barrels per day from the oil-rich province in its 2015 budget.

Brig Gen Shirko Rauf and five other members of the Kurdish peshmerga forces were killed and 46 more were wounded in the fighting, a police brigadier general and a doctor said, but the final casualty figure for Kurdish troops was unclear.

Officials put IS casualties at dozens of dead.

Dozens of Kirkuk residents fired weapons in the air to celebrate the victory over IS, witnesses said.

Published in Dawn January 31st, 2015

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