Gunfire erupted Wednesday as hundreds of protesters marched in Kirkuk and at least two people were reported killed in this northern city. According to the AP, Police Col. Salem Taha said two protesters were killed and 16 were injured in the shooting. A reporter saw six people hit by gunshots, and heard sirens as ambulances rushed to the rescue. Witnesses fleeing the scene said police opened fire on the crowd, but police said the shots came from members of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, as demonstrators tried to converge on that party's office. U.S. soldiers moved in with tanks to block the area and set up checkpoints at major intersections. Hundreds of Arabs and Turkmen began protesting Wednesday morning to demand that Kirkuk remain under a central Iraqi government and not be incorporated into any proposed Kurdish federation. "Kirkuk is an Iraqi city!" protesters shouted. "Down with federalism." Some Kurds in Kirkuk have been calling for the city to become part of an autonomous Kurdistan. **PHOTO CAPTION*** Arabs and Turkmen during the demonstration in Kirkuk. (Photo Al-Jazeera)