TIKRIT: Gunmen in military uniform broke into the city council and court house in Samarra in northern Iraq yesterday, holding the facility for four hours until police and army stormed the compound, the mayor and police officials said.
Four policemen were killed in the fighting, along with three civilians who were visiting the city council and were shot when Iraqi security forces opened fire to retake the site, a senior police officer said.
A further 47 people were wounded, including 30 soldiers and policemen, according to officials at the Samarra hospital. The deputy head of the city council, Ammar Ahmed, and a second member were wounded. “The Iraqi police and army managed to clear the building,” Samarra Mayor Mahmoud Khalaf said. “The situation is under control.” Three fighters, who had holed up in the city council building, detonated their suicide vests rather than surrender, Khalaf said.
Reuters
