Gunmen slaughter 11 electricity workers in Kirkuk

A policeman receives treatment after the car bombing of a police station Monday in Kirkuk. Kirkuk has been the scene of months of violence as Arabs and Kurds vie for control of the city, particularly in light of an upcoming forced repatriation of Arabs from the city.

KIRKUK, Iraq - Gunmen killed 11 employees of an electricity station in an ambush on their vehicle near the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk on Wednesday, police said.

Gunmen in a car attacked the men as they were driving to work. The ambush took place near Hawija about 70 km southwest of the volatile city of Kirkuk.

Police said it appeared the gunmen first stopped the electricity workers’ vehicle and then opened fire on the men inside. Seven of the men died instantly while four others were fatally wounded and died later in hospital.

It was not clear whether the attack was linked to an ambush in the same area on Saturday, when gunmen shot dead eight civilian employees of an Iraqi military base. Four brothers were among the dead in that incident.

Read the rest at the Khaleej Times

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