BAGHDAD — Exploiting a foggy night as cover, Islamic State militants launched a surprise attack on Kurdish positions on the outskirts of the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk early Friday, killing a senior Kurdish commander and at least five of his men, security officials in the city said.
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Later in the day, militants from the group, also known as ISIS or ISIL, attacked the abandoned hotel inside the city with a car bomb. A security official in Kirkuk said three Islamic State fighters had infiltrated the hotel, reaching its roof. Kurdish troops and local police officers stormed the hotel, killing the militants, the A.P. reported.
