News

Gunmen wearing suicide vests have stormed a provincial council building in the Iraqi city of Tikrit, killing at least 10 people, reports say.

Dozens were reported to have been wounded in a series of attacks which included the detonation of a car bomb.

The attackers, who entered the building disguised in military uniforms, now control one of its floors, reports say.

Overall the level of violence in Iraq has dropped sharply, but bomb attacks in particular are still common.

The men were involved in a fierce gunbattle with Iraqi security forces surrounding the Salahuddin building.

"Police cannot approach because the gunmen are shooting from inside. All of the attackers are wearing suicide belts," a security official said, according to Agence France-Presse.