At least nine members of the Iraqi Federal Police were killed in an attack aiming to target polling stations nearby Maktab Khalid area in southwestern Kirkuk province, Rudaw correspondent Hiwa Husamaddin reported.

The federal police are under the control of the interior ministry.

Since last night ISIS has targeted Hashd al-Shaabi four times with bombs.

He added the security situation inside Kirkuk is stable.

Concerning technical failures to the electoral devices, the reporter said in many polling stations the devices have broken, thus slowing the process.

"The Iraqi Federal Police since midnight has closed the road not allowing the people of Makhmour who live in Erbil return to Makhmour," Rizgar Mustafa, the governor of Makhmour told Rudaw.

Iraqis must vote at their place of residence.

There was a similar problem with the displaced people of Daquq and Tuz Khurmatu, who are not able to return to their areas. The main road connecting Erbil to these cities are still closed, despite Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordering the reopening of all roads between Iraqi provinces.

------ 

 

9:15 a.m.

Officials in disputed Qaratapa report overnight mortar fire, 3 wounded

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — At least two polling stations came under mortar shells in Qaratapa on Friday night, wounding three people. 

“At 10 p.m., three mortars were fired at Ashtokan polling station  in Qaratapa town, causing no fatalities,” Simko Ali, the head of Kolajo's Asayesh [Security], told Rudaw.

An hour later, “another polling station in the village of Islah was shelled with mortars, wounding three people, two women and a man,” added Ali.

It was not immediately clear who fired the mortars.

Iraq’s parliamentary elections started across Iraq on Saturday morning.

Ahmed Mustafa, another Peshmerga official, said ISIS “possibly” carried out the attacks.

“ISIS is present in the region and they must have fired the mortars,” Mustafa added.


He said they also suspect the Shiite Hashd al-Shaabi and Iraqi forces as they have previously threatened Kurds in the area not to vote.

Qaratapa is just north of Lake Hamrin in Diyala province. The area is disputed and claimed by both Baghdad and Erbil. Kurdish officials and locals have complained of security in the area.