Militants storm Iraq transport ministry building

Militants shot two guards dead outside the Ministry of Transportation in Baghdad.

BAGHDAD: Militants stormed an Iraqi government building on Thursday and police sources said several suicide bombers remained inside.

Security forces surrounded the building belonging to the Ministry of Transportation in northeast Baghdad after militants shot dead two guards near the main gate and entered.

It was not immediately clear whether there were any casualties among those inside the building, which was used to receive official visiting delegations. Police sources said some people had been taken hostage.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but government buildings are a target for Sunni Islamist insurgents seeking to destabilize the Shia-led government.