Battlefield Iraq: Heavy Intense Firefight Between Kurdish&Iraqi; Security Forces And IS In Kirkuk Iraq. Heavy Fighting And Firefight In Kirkuk Iraq as several Gunmen related to IS raided a mall located in Kirkuk province in Iraq. Civilian hostages were also taken. As the clashes continued, gunmen, some of them wearing suicide vests, stormed the adjacent mall, took shoppers hostage and moved up the five-storey complex to the roof, from where they opened fire on security personnel who attempted to enter. The gunfight lasted several hours and one armed militant was captured alive during the operation. Kirkuk has a mixed population of Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen. Thats why the local Iraqi Security Forces had help from a Kurdish Unit. Kirkuk lies at the centre of a swathe of territory stretching from Iraq's eastern border with Iran to its western frontier with Syria that Kurdish leaders want to incorporate into their autonomous region in the north over strenuous objections from the central government in Baghdad. Militants often exploit poor communication between the Iraqi army and Kurdish security forces to carry out attacks in the city. At least 19 people have been killed and 70 wounded after the siege on the Iraqi mall in the northern city of Kirkuk, as well as an attack on an intelligence HQ. Security forces have rescued 11 hostages, ending the mall siege. Officials have blamed the upsurge in violence to a resurgent IS emboldened by the civil war in neighbouring Syria, but the government has itself faced criticism for not doing enough to address the concerns of Iraq's disaffected Sunni Arab minority ahead of April elections. Despite a near-ubiquitous security force presence in major cities nationwide, attacks have hit targets ranging from cafes and football grounds to military checkpoints and government vehicles: The violence has forced the authorities to appeal for international help in combatting militancy. Map of Location: http://bit.ly/1m9xtAg Want to see more HD combat videos? Well, make sure to leave a rate, comment/s, and subscribe for more! Subscribe for more: http://bit.ly/1aY2nXE aDRI12345 On Facebook:https://www.FB.com/RawCombatFootage *DISCLAIMER* This footage is part of an war archvie of the conflict in Iraq and should be viewed as educational. This footage is also to be taken as a raw documentary on the events of the conflict in Iraq. This footage is not meant to glorify war or violence. This footage is NOT meant to be violent in any way. I am ONLY sharing this footage for the purposes of news reporting and educating. I also want to share this footage for: news reporting, sharing important information with the public, and the transformative nature of the footage.

• published: 17 Jan 2014
• views: 375640