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Iraqi city of Kirkuk hit by deadly bombings | Iraqi city of Kirkuk hit by deadly bombings |
(about 3 hours later) | |
Three bombs targeting security forces in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk have left at least 27 people dead and injured dozens more, officials say. | |
Two of the bombs exploded in quick succession near a police station. | |
Many of the casualties were police officers who rushed outside after the first bomb went off. | |
One official blamed al-Qaeda for the attack. Kirkuk, about 180 miles (290km) north of Baghdad, has seen violence linked to ethnic divisions in the past. | |
Thursday morning's attacks were the most deadly the city has seen for some months. | Thursday morning's attacks were the most deadly the city has seen for some months. |
'Huge bomb' | |
The first explosion was caused by a small bomb in the police station car park, witnesses said. | |
"I ran out from the headquarters after I heard the first bomb. I went with my colleague to check the parking lot but as we arrived, a huge bomb went off," policeman Sherzad Kamil told AFP news agency. | |
"I fell on the ground and saw several of my colleagues killed and wounded." | |
About an hour after the explosions near the police station, a third blast nearby was reported to have targeted the convoy of a senior police official, injuring him and a number of officers. | |
The bombs badly damaged buildings, and charred cars could be seen flipped on to their roofs. | |
Overall, at least 70 people were wounded, officials said. | |
The police chief of Kirkuk province, Maj Gen Jamal Tahir, said the bombings bore the hallmarks of an al-Qaeda attack. | |
"It is a joint operation between al-Qaeda and the armed groups allied with them," he said. | |
Kirkuk lies in an oil-rich and ethnically divided area where Kurdish authorities are vying for control with the central government in Baghdad. | Kirkuk lies in an oil-rich and ethnically divided area where Kurdish authorities are vying for control with the central government in Baghdad. |
The city is populated by Kurds, Arabs and Turkomen. | The city is populated by Kurds, Arabs and Turkomen. |
US forces, who are due to withdraw from Iraq later this year, have been conducting tripartite patrols in Kirkuk with central government forces and Kurdish authorities. | US forces, who are due to withdraw from Iraq later this year, have been conducting tripartite patrols in Kirkuk with central government forces and Kurdish authorities. |
While violence has decreased in Iraq in the last few years, attacks are still frequent and government or security officials are often targets. | While violence has decreased in Iraq in the last few years, attacks are still frequent and government or security officials are often targets. |