Militants target Iraq police headquarters

Militants in Iraq have driven an explosive-laden tanker into a federal police headquarters and took over the building, a local official says.

The incident took place on Friday in the northern village of Injana. Fatalities have also been reported.

The official, whose name was not mentioned in the report, also said that the commander of the federal police battalion and his assistant were among those killed in the attack, adding that the total number of casualties was not yet clear as victims remained trapped beneath the building.

Security forces were still fighting the gunmen, who have also taken control of the nearby town of Serha, said the mayor of Sulaiman Pek town.

Earlier this year, militants from the al-Qaeda-linked group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) occupied Sulaiman Pek and raised the group’s black flag.

ISIL militants have regained momentum in Iraq over the past year. The group is one of the major militant groups that incited violence in the western province of Anbar.

Violence erupted in Anbar in December 2013, when security forces cleared a protest camp that the government said was used by militants for launching terrorist attacks.

Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has declared war on the militant groups, asking for international support and arms to help tackle the violence in the country.