Criminal investigations chief escapes attempt on life

KIRKUK / IraqiNews.com: The director of the Criminal Investigations Department in Kirkuk has survived an assassination attempt when an explosive charge went off near his vehicle south of Kirkuk, a security source said on Monday. “This morning, Col. Aras Mohammed Namiq, the director of the Criminal Investigations Department in Kirkuk survived an attempt on his life when an improvised explosive device (IED) hit his vehicle near Kirkuk park on a main street south of Kirkuk City,” Col. Ghazi Ali told IraqiNews.com news agency. “The colonel was heading to work when the blast occurred,” the source added. Kirkuk, an oil-rich and mixed city of Kurds, Turkmen, Christians and Arabs, lies 250 km north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. SS (P) 1