Daesh abducts 3 Turkmen families in Kirkuk: Official

By Idris Okuducu

ERBIL, Iraq (AA) - Daesh militants on Friday took three Turkmen families hostage in Iraq’s northern city of Kirkuk, according to a local Turkmen official.

"We have received information about the abduction of three local Turkmen families in Kirkuk’s city center," Aydin Maruf, a Turkmen MP for Erbil, told Anadolu Agency.

Security in the city has since been stepped up, Maruf added, while all its entrances and exits have been sealed.

"Given the security forces’ inability to wipe out the militants, they have asked the help of Peshmerga forces in Sulaymaniyah, along with Iraqi army troops and Shia militiamen deployed in the area," the MP said.