Joint Iraqi-US Checkpoint attacked south of Kirkuk:

KIRKUK / IraqiNews.com: A joint Iraqi-US checkpoint has been attacked by unknown gunmen in southern Kirkuk‘s Leylan township on Friday night and an Iraqi military force had managed to defuse three explosive charges south of the city, a Joint Cooerdination Center source said on Saturday. “A group of unknown armed men have opened fire on Friday from a fast car on a joint chekpoint of the Iraqi and American Emergency Police forces close to Leylan township on the main highway passing through the township, 15 kms to the south of Kirkuk, before escaping to an unknown destination,” the said source told IraqiNews.com news agency, adding that the security forces closed the road between Kirkuk and Leylan, searching for the attackers, but gave no further details. In a related development, the same source said that the Iraqi security forces have managed to dismantle three explosive charges in south Kirkuk‘s Dibbis area, 45 kms to the south of Kirkuk, without causing any damage. The oil-rich oil city of Kirkuk, is 280 kms to the northeat of Baghdad. (P/T) / SKH 639