IS suicide bombers attack US and Peshmerga base in northern Iraq

Islamic State (IS) group suicide bombers attacked a base in northern Iraq where US military advisers are stationed, security sources said on Sunday.

Two militants detonated their vests at the entrance to the K1 base overnight. The remaining three were killed by Kurdish Peshmerga forces who control the Kirkuk area where the base is situated.

"They were wearing uniforms like the Kurdish Peshmerga and had shaved their beards to look like us," one officer told Reuters, adding that two Peshmerga had been killed in the attack. A further six were wounded.

Iraqi forces backed by a US-led coalition are fighting to dislodge IS from Mosul, 140km northwest of Kirkuk. Large pockets of territory remain under militant control, including Hawija, which is near the targeted base.

IS claimed the attack in a statement, saying it had killed and wounded dozens of "crusaders and apostates," referring to the Peshmerga and Western military advisers.