By Aref Yousef

BAGHDAD

A group of suicide bombers attacked a concentration of security personnel in Iraq’s northern city of Kirkuk, killing two and injuring 15, an Iraqi security source said Friday.

According to Kirkuk Police Captain Hamid al-Obeidi, clashes erupted Thursday between a group of unidentified attackers and Iraqi security forces backed by tribal fighters from Kirkuk’s western Abbasi district.

The clashes, he said, had left two security personnel dead and another 15 injured.

“Four of the terrorists blew themselves up during the melee, while four others were killed by security forces before they could detonate their explosive devices,” al-Obeidi told Anadolu Agency.

Last December, officials in Baghdad declared that the Daesh terrorist group's military presence in Iraq had been all but destroyed.

Iraqi forces, however, continue to carry out frequent anti-Daesh operations, suggesting the terrorist group still maintains an active presence in certain parts of the country.