53 people were killed and almost 100 wounded when a group of gunmen stormed a provincial council building in Iraq, taking scores of hostages

53 people were killed and almost 100 wounded when a group of gunmen stormed a provincial council building in Iraq, taking scores of hostages.

Security officials say a suicide bomber blew himself up outside the council building in Tikrit, the home town of former dictator Saddam Hussein.

Officials said the assailants then stormed into the building, setting off car bombs, explosive belts and hand grenades, and grabbing hostages.

As security forces closed in, the gunmen began executing their hostages.

A car bomb also exploded outside the building as police arrived, killing two police and a journalist.

The attack lasted for more than four hours.

It is still unclear how many people were inside the building or taken hostage.

But witnesses say some managed to escape as the drama unfolded.

Hospital sources said they had received the bodies of six attackers. They said two showed they had died after detonating their suicide vests, and four were killed by shots fired by security forces.

"Police cannot approach because the gunmen are shooting from inside," a police official said during the stand-off.

"The attackers are all wearing suicide belts."

He added that at least one had detonated his payload inside. He said all were dressed in military uniforms.

Tikrit, north of Baghdad, is capital of a majority Sunni Muslim province, where insurgent groups have long had a presence.

The US military said some of its forces had initially assisted Iraqi security forces in response to the attack.

"As additional Iraqi forces arrived on the scene, US forces were not needed to take a direct role in securing the area and monitored the situation to help determine what additional assistance might be required," it said in a statement.