CAPTION:Rescuers work at the site of a suicide bomb attack in Kirkuk, on Feb. 3, 2013. At least 30 people were killed and some 70 others wounded in a coordinated car bomb and suicide attack on a police headquarters in Iraq’s northern city of Kirkuk, a local police source said. (Xinhua/Dina Assad)
At least 30 people were killed and some 70 others wounded in a coordinated car bomb and suicide attack on a police headquarters in Iraq’s northern city of Kirkuk, a local police source said.
The attack apparently was an attempt to take control of the police compound. The attackers blew up at least one car bomb and a suicide bomber wearing explosive vest struck the entrance of the compound, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
The initial blasts were aimed at opening the way for other gunmen to enter the compound, the source said, adding that the first police report said that the attackers’ attempt was unsuccessful.
The death toll could rise as many victims were evacuated by ambulances and civilian cars to several hospitals and medical centers in the city, he said.
Violence and high-profile bomb attacks are still common in the Iraqi cities despite the dramatic decrease in violence since its peak in 2006 and 2007, when the country was engulfed in sectarian killings.
SOURCE: Xinhua