ERBIL - Villagers in the disputed Kurdish province of Kirkuk were able to repel an attack by the Islamic State (IS) militants on Saturday night, an official confirmed.

Speaking to BasNews, Mahmood Dalo, a Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) representative in the area, noted that the insurgents firstly targeted the village of Om Hunta with mortars.

And later, he noted, the IS snipers began to hit villagers, leaving a local wounded and another killed.

Meanwhile, Nihad Mohammed, a spokesperson for Diyala Police, confirmed the report to BasNews and pointed out that the Iraqi security forces cordoned off the area, but that the jihadists already escaped the scene.