Shawdesh desk:

At least nine police officers have been killed in a bomb and gun attack in northern Iraq. The attack took place near the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, about 290km (180 miles) from the capital Baghdad on Sunday. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility. IS has already said it was behind the planting of a roadside bomb that killed three Iraqi soldiers near Baghdad on Wednesday.

Sunday’s attack began when a bomb blast targeted a truck carrying police near the village of Chalal al-Matar, officials told AFP. The blast was followed by “a direct attack with small arms”.