(VOVworld) - Clashes between Kurdish forces and Turkmen Shiite paramilitaries killed nine people in a flashpoint northern town and closed the road to Baghdad before a ceasefire was announced on Sunday.

Iraqi soldiers and Peshmerga forces pictured north of Baghdad on March 26, 2016 (Photo: AFP)

Each side blamed the other for throwing grenades at one of its headquarters in Tuz Khurmatu. Kurdish officials said a peshmerga brigadier general, another fighter and two members of the Turkmen forces were among those killed. A national highway, 90 kilometers from Tikkrit, the capital of Salahudin to the East of the capital Baghdad was blockaded. Local authorities imposed a curfew on the town while political and security leaders held an urgent meeting to restore peace. Last November, a clash occurred at a border checkpoint, resulting in the escalation of violence.