The pre-dawn attack targeted the main police headquarters, as well as checkpoints and patrols in Kirkuk, which is under Kurdish control but is ethnically divided and has long been a source of contention.
Mērķu vidū bija policijas galvenā mītne, kā arī kontrolpunkti un patruļas. Dibsā teroristi uzspridzinājušies spēkstacijā, kuru būvē Irānas uzņēmums.