IS militants attack Iraqi city of Kirkuk as Mosul offensive continues
Mosul Iraq battle: IS launches counter-attack at Kirkuk
(35 minutes later)
Fighters from the self-styled Islamic State (IS) group have attacked government buildings in the Iraqi city of Kirkuk, killing at least six police officers and 16 civilians.
Islamic State (IS) militants have mounted a ferocious counter-attack in north Iraq, killing at least 19 people in and around the city of Kirkuk.
Twelve IS jihadists were also killed in the dawn attack.
They attacked government buildings, killing at least six police officers, and a power station under construction, where 13 employees died, officials say.
Hours later, witnesses said gunfire was still being heard and militants were walking openly through the streets.
Twelve IS fighters also reportedly died and fighting seems to be continuing.
Separately, Iraqi pro-government forces are continuing an offensive to re-take the IS-held city of Mosul to the north.
Government and Kurdish forces began a long-awaited operation against the IS capital in Iraq, Mosul, on Monday.
A news agency affiliated to IS claimed its fighters had broken into Kirkuk's town hall and seized a central hotel, but officials denied this.
Mosul lies 170km (105 miles) to the north-east of Kirkuk, a multi-ethnic city claimed both by Iraq's central government and the Kurds.
The governor of Kirkuk said the attack was carried out by IS sleeper cells.
Government forces said on Friday they had regained control of a further two villages - al-Awaizat and Nanaha - south of Mosul, evacuating 65 displaced families and killing 15 IS militants.
Local media said a state of emergency had been declared and Friday sermons cancelled as mosques remained closed.
Police stations attacked
IS fighters also stormed a power plant to the north of Kirkuk. A mayor in Kirkuk said 16 people were killed. Iranian employees are believed to be among the dead.
Hours after the initial assault, witnesses in Kirkuk said gunfire could still be heard and militants were walking openly through the streets. Initial reports suggested as many as 16 civilians had been killed.
Local media say a state of emergency has been declared and Friday sermons have been cancelled as mosques remain closed.
A news agency affiliated to IS said fighters had broken into Kirkuk's city hall and seized a central hotel but officials denied this.
District police chief Brig Gen Sarhad Qadir told the BBC suicide bombers and other IS fighters had attacked three police buildings and the headquarters of a political party in Kirkuk.
"All of the militants who attacked the police emergency building and the old building of the Kirkuk police directorate have been killed but a number of other militants are still in Dumez district," he said.
The governor of Kirkuk, Najm al-Din Karim, insisted that Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and counter-terrorism forces were completely in control of the situation.
He blamed the attack on IS sleeper cells.
"Because of the ongoing Mosul offensive, they may want to create a situation where forces would be withdrawn from there and the focus shifted to Kirkuk," Mr Karim told Kurdish news agency Rudaw.
"Also because they are being defeated in Mosul, they want to boost their morale with these kinds of actions."
Five Iranian employees are believed to be among the dead in the attack on the power plant to the north of Kirkuk, Iraq's electricity ministry said.
Seven other employees and five police guards were wounded.
The power plant, which is still under construction, is being built by an Iranian company.
The power plant, which is still under construction, is being built by an Iranian company.
In the city itself, militants concentrated on targets linked to the Iraqi government.
A district police chief, Brig Gen Sarhad Qadir, told the BBC that militants and a number of suicide bombers had attacked three police buildings and the headquarters of a political party in Kirkuk.
"All of the militants who attacked the police emergency building and the old building of the Kirkuk police directorate have been killed, but a number of other militants are still in Dumez district," he said.
But Kirkuk's governor, Najm al-Din Karim, told the Kurdish news agency, Rudaw, that Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and counter-terrorism forces were completely in control of the situation.
He told the agency that the attackers, from IS sleeper cells, had been "foiled" and reasoned for the motives behind the attack: "Because of the ongoing Mosul offensive, they may want to create a situation where forces would be withdrawn from there and the focus shifted to Kirkuk. Also because they are being defeated in Mosul, they want to boost their morale with these kinds of actions."
In the latest on the Mosul offensive, Iraqi government forces said on Friday that they had regained control of two villages - al-Awaizat and Nanaha - south of Mosul, evacuating 65 displaced families and killing 15 IS militants.
A local TV channel broadcast footage of black smoke rising over the city, with automatic gunfire audible. Witnesses told the AFP news agency they had seen dozens of gunmen carrying grenades and rifles walking through the streets.
A security source meanwhile told the BBC there were ongoing clashes between IS militants and Peshmerga in the south and south-west of Kirkuk.
Kirkuk, a multi-ethnic city that is located about 180 miles (290km) north of the capital Baghdad and 105 miles (170km) south-east of Mosul. It is claimed both by Iraq's central government and by the country's Kurds.
It is thought the IS supporters behind this attack may have originally entered Kirkuk posing as displaced villagers fleeing nearby fighting.
