BERLIN, July 19 (Reuters) - Two hospitals in the

northern German cities of Luebeck and Kiel have cancelled

elective operations scheduled for Friday, their operator said,

citing a global IT outage linked to the cybersecurity company

Crowdstrike ( CRWD ).

Patient care and emergency services are being maintained,

the University Clinic of Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH) added in a

statement.

(Writing by Rachel More, Editing by Friederike Heine)