Militants kill 4 workers in attack at Iraq gas facility

Unidentified militants on Sunday stormed gas facility in northern Iraq and killed four workers after planting bombs, a security source told Xinhua.

The attack occurred in the early morning when gunmen broke into a gas facility in the oil-rich province of Kirkuk and planted bombs in the facility after they shot dead four workers, the source said on condition of anonymity.

The attackers fled the scene before the security forces retook control of the facility and defused the bombs, the source said.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack in the gas facility, but Islamic State (IS) militant group has previously targeted oil facilities in the province with explosives, repeatedly targeting oil wells at Khubbaz oilfield southwest of Kirkuk.

Iraq has been hit by a new wave of violence since the IS terrorist group took control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions in June 2014. Endit