Kirkuk blast death toll on the rise

KIRKUK / IraqiNews.com: Casualties from the car bomb blast that occurred earlier today in Kirkuk province have reached 34, according to a local security source. “The toll from the car bomb explosion that occurred in al-Wassiti neighborhood has reached 11 dead, all policemen, and 23 wounded persons, including children, women and cops,” the source told IraqiNews.com news agency. The source noted that the toll is likely to increase further as some of the wounded are in critical condition. Earlier today, a local police chief said that a car rigged with explosives targeted a security patrol in al-Wassiti neighborhood near al-Asdiqaa gas station, southwestern Kirkuk. Kirkuk, an oil-rich and mixed city of Kurds, Turkmen, Christians and Arabs, lies 250 km northeast of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. SS (P)/SR 1