Five killed, at least 29 wounded by Erbil car bomb

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – A car bomb attack outside the Erbil Governorate building at noon Wednesday killed four people and wounded at least 29 others, the health ministry told Rudaw.

A Hyundai Elantra vehicle loaded with explosives tried to storm its way into the compound but was fired on by guards, exploding before getting to the building itself, witnesses and officials said.

Two guards and two civilians close to the building were killed in the attack, and 29 wounded were rushed to hospitals, the ministry said. Ten vehicles were also destroyed by the blast.

"An unfortunate event has unfolded today," Erbil’s governor told Rudaw, blaming the Islamic State for the attack. “Kurdistan is facing a great threat regionally from ISIS," he said.

"Terrorist acts happen all over the world, and we will strive to protect the Kurdistan region," the governor said.

Bomb attacks in the Kurdish capital of Erbil are rare, but occur almost on a daily basis in Baghdad, primarily in Shiite-dominated neighborhoods. 


There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack. However, the Islamic State (ISIS), has been at war with the Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq. ISIS has carried out numerous suicide-bomb attacks throughout Iraq