Security sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said at least 11 people, including policemen, were killed and 21 others wounded when an explosive-laden car went off at the entrance of the facility in the town of Taji, located 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of Baghdad, at around 6 a.m. local time (0300 GMT) on Sunday.
Six assailants clad in explosive vests later made their way into the factory, triggering a heavy exchange of gunfire with the security personnel inside the facility. Three of the facility’s gas storages reportedly went up in flames amid the violence.
Lieutenant General Abdul Amir al-Shammari, a commander for Baghdad Operations Command, told Arabic-language al-Baghdadia satellite television network that security forces are now in control of the gas factory, and civil defense teams are trying to put out the intense blaze.
No group or individual has so far claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Iraqi officials usually blame such incidents on the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group, which has been wreaking havoc on Iraq's northern and western parts since 2014.
Also on Sunday, a civilian was killed and eight others injured when an improvised explosive device detonated near an outdoor market in the town of Yusufiyah, situated 40 kilometers (24 miles) south of Baghdad.
Elsewhere in Baghdad’s northern neighborhood of Hussainiyah, an improvised explosive device claimed a civilian life and left six others wounded.
S/SH 11