Dozens of people have been killed in a series of attacks in the northern Iraqi city of Tikrit, according to security sources.

The overnight attacks on Wednesday came after several suspected ISIL fighters infiltrated Tikrit, around 170km north of the capital, Baghdad.

The attackers, who reportedly wore police uniforms and used a police vehicle to enter the city, targeted a security checkpoint and the house of a police colonel, who was killed with four members of his family, according to officers.

Two suicide bombers detonated their vests when surrounded by police, and three others were killed in separate clashes.

READ MORE: UN expanding camps near Mosul as 300,000 people flee

A total of 31 bodies were taken to hospital, including 14 belonging to policemen, Nawfal Mustafa, a doctor at the city's main hospital, told the Reuters news agency.

The death toll rose in the morning as more bodies were found, belonging to civilians killed in their shops.

The violence, which also left at least 42 people wounded, prompted Tikrit authorities to declare a curfew in the city. Sporadic gunfire could still be heard on Wednesday morning.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility but ISIL fighters have carried out similar attacks in Tikrit in the past, in an apparent diversionary tactic as Iraqi forces push ahead with a US-backed offensive to dislodge the group from the remaining districts under its control in Mosul, further north.

ISIL, or the Islamic state of Iraq and the Levant, seized Tikrit during a lightning offensive that overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in the summer of 2014, but Iraqi forces recaptured it the following year. </s> At least 26 people have been killed and 40 wounded in overnight attacks carried out by Islamic state militants in the city of Tikrit, in central Iraq, Reuters reported, citing Iraqi security sources and medics.Tikrit was captured by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) militants in June 2014. In September 2015, IS blew up the Green Church, one of the oldest Christian churches in the Middle East, as well as Al Arbain, a shrine and historical mosque, which were both located in the city center.In 2015 the Iraqi Army retook Tirkit, but the jihadist fighters have continued to carry out attacks in the city and its outskirts. In March of this year, dozens of people were killed in suicide bomb blasts that went off at a wedding party in a village near the city. </s> TIKRIT, Iraq: At least 26 people were killed, including 14 policemen, and over 40 wounded in attacks overnight by Islamic State militants in the city of Tikrit, north of Baghdad, Iraqi security and medical sources said on Wednesday. </s> At least 31 people were killed, including 14 police officers, and more than 40 wounded in attacks overnight by Islamic State militants in the northern Iraqi city of Tikrit, security and medical sources said on Wednesday. The militants wore police uniforms and used a police vehicle to enter the city, 175 km north of Baghdad, police colonel Khalid Mahmoud told Reuters.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Reuters. </s> At least 31 people were killed, including 14 police officers, and more than 40 wounded in attacks overnight by Islamic State militants in the northern Iraqi city of Tikrit, security and medical sources said on Wednesday.

The militants wore police uniforms and used a police vehicle to enter the city, 175 km (110 miles) north of Baghdad, police colonel Khalid Mahmoud told Reuters. He said there were around 10 attackers, including two suicide bombers.

Islamic State’s Amaq news agency said seven suicide fighters attacked a police position and the home of the head of the city’s counter-terrorism service, who was killed. The assailants blew themselves up when they ran out of ammunition, it said.

A total of 31 bodies were taken to hospital, including 14 policemen, said Nawfal Mustafa, a doctor at the city’s main hospital. The death toll rose during the morning as the bodies of civilians killed in their shops were found.

The attacks targeted a police checkpoint and the house of a police colonel, who was killed with four members of his family, officers said.

Two suicide attackers detonated their vests when surrounded by police, and three others were killed in separate clashes.

Five militants are thought to be hiding and Mahmoud said Tikrit authorities had declared a curfew on Wednesday. Sporadic gunfire could be heard in the morning.

A U.S.-backed offensive is underway to dislodge Islamic State from the remaining districts under its control in Mosul, 225 km away, the group’s last major urban stronghold in Iraq.

The militants overran about a third of Iraq’s territory nearly three years ago, capturing most Sunni Arab cities located north and west of Baghdad, including Tikrit.

Iraqi forces and Iranian-backed Shi’ite militias drove the militants away from Tikrit two years ago. Tikrit is the home region of Saddam Hussein, the former president toppled in the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. </s> At least 26 people have been killed and 40 wounded in an attack by Islamic State (IS) militants in the city of Tikrit, Iraqi security and medical personnel said.

Police Colonel Khalid Mahmud said on April 5 that around 10 militants, including two suicide bombers, entered the city overnight.

The assault targeted a police checkpoint and the house of a police colonel, who was killed with four members of his family, reports said.

Nawfal Mustafa, a doctor at the city's main hospital, said a total of 26 bodies were taken to the hospital, including 14 belonging to police officers.

Sporadic gunfire could reportedly be heard in the morning.

The attack comes as government forces continue an offensive to retake the northern city of Mosul, the last major IS stronghold in Iraq.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and the BBC </s> At least 26 people have been killed and 40 wounded in an attack by Islamic State militants in the Iraqi city of Tikrit, medical sources say.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Newsday. </s> TIKRIT, Iraq: At least 26 people were killed, including 14 police officers, and more than 40 wounded in attacks overnight by Islamic State militants in the northern Iraqi city of Tikrit, security and medical sources said on Wednesday.

The militants wore police uniforms and used a police vehicle to enter the city, located 175 km (110 miles) north of Baghdad, police colonel Khalid Mahmoud told Reuters. He said there were around 10 attackers, including two suicide bombers.

A total of 26 bodies were taken to hospital, including 14 belonging to policemen, said Nawfal Mustafa, a doctor at the city's main hospital.

The attacks targeted a police checkpoint and the house of a police colonel, who was killed with four members of his family, officers said.

Two suicide attackers detonated their vests when surrounded by police, and three others were killed in separate clashes.

Five militants are thought to be hiding and Mahmoud said Tikrit authorities had declared a curfew on Wednesday. Sporadic gunfire could be heard in the morning.

The attacks come as a U.S.-backed offensive is underway to dislodge Islamic State from the remaining districts under its control in Mosul, 225 km (140 miles) away, the group's last major urban stronghold in Iraq.

The militants overran about a third of Iraq's territory nearly three years ago, capturing most Sunni Arab cities located north and west of Baghdad, including Tikrit.

Iraqi forces and Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias drove the militants away from Tikrit two years ago. Tikrit is the home region of Saddam Hussein, the former president toppled in the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. </s> At least 26 people were killed Wednesday night, and up to 67 were wounded by suicide bombers who blew themselves up at a wedding party in a village near the Iraqi city of Tikrit, local officials and medics said Thursday.

No terror group has claimed responsibility for the attack in Hajjaj village, which is some 20 kilometers north of Tikrit, the capital of Saladin province. However, the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, has carried out similar attacks in the region before.

A police source told Reuters two blasts hit the wedding and shortly afterward, two more targeted security forces. There were also ongoing clashes between security forces and militants in the area.

“The first blew himself up at 8:30 p.m. amid men who were dancing during the celebration,” following the second attack minutes later, a police lieutenant colonel said. The bombers detonated explosive belts, the officer said. </s> At least 26 people have been killed in suicide bomb explosions at a wedding party in a village near the Iraqi city of Tikrit, medical and security sources have told Al Jazeera.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Wednesday's attack in Hajjaj village, located 20km north of Tikrit.

Security forces cordoned off the area and imposed a wider curfew for fear of more attackers.

A police source told Reuters that two blasts hit the wedding and two more targeted security forces at the scene shortly afterwards. There were ongoing clashes between security forces and fighters in the area, he said.

Iraqi security forces retook Tikrit from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant - ISIL, also known as ISIS - in April 2015.

In November, ISIL bomb attacks hit Tikrit, north of the capital, Baghdad, in an apparent diversionary assault as Iraqi forces drove back the armed group's fighters in their stronghold of Mosul.
According to security sources, dozens of people are killed in an overnight attack in Tikrit by suspected ISIL militants. 31 bodies were taken to a hospital, according to a local doctor, while more continued to be found by morning.