Erbil (Iraq), July 23 (IANS) Iraqi Kurdish forces on Monday killed three gunmen who broke into a government building in Iraq's Erbil city, officials said. A civilian who worked in the building was also killed.
Governor of Erbil Nawzad Hadi said: "Three gunmen broke into the provincial building, but the security forces managed to kill them all and regained control of the building after a counter attack that resulted in the killing of a civilian employee during the battle."
It was not immediately clear whether the civilian was killed by the gunmen or was caught in the cross-fire, Xinhua quoted Hadi as saying. He added that four security members were injured.
The deceased employee was identified as Farhan Eliya Ibrahim from the Christian minority who worked for years serving tea in the building.
"This is a terrorist act which will not undermine the will of the people of Kurdistan and we reassure the citizens that the situation is under control," Hadi added.
Tariq Nouri, head of Asaiysh forces (Kurdish security forces), said the three gunmen have been identified as Erbil Kurdish residents and that their names and addresses are now known to the Kurdish security forces.
Earlier, Erbil's Deputy Governor Tahir Abdullah said two gunmen injured a policeman at the gate, broke into the building and fired with small arms on the security forces who rushed to the scene and surrounded the building.
Kurdish special forces later broke into the building, searching for the attackers room by room, he said.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack in Erbil, some 350 km north of Baghdad, which has been relatively calm since the US-led invasion in 2003.
However, the security source said the Islamic State militant group could be behind the attack.
--IANS
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