Kirkuk governor chief guard survives attempt with explosive belt

KIRKUK / IraqiNews.com: The official in charge of guards protecting the governor of Kirkuk survived an assassination attempt with an explosive belt worn by a suicide bomber on a bicycle in the city on Friday, a security official said. “Chief guard of Kirkuk Governor Rizkar Tablou escaped an attempt on his life with an explosive belt in the neighborhood of al-Hurriya, northern Kirkuk,” Ahmed Samirani, the city’s quick response police director, told IraqiNews.com news agency. “The bomber, a young man who was riding a bicycle, blew himself up near Tablou’s motorcade, but the explosion did not leave any casualties,” he added. Samirani noted that only one vehicle was damaged in the explosive attack. He did not give further details. The oil-rich Kirkuk, a city of mixed Turkmen, Arab and Kurdish population, lies 250 km north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. AmR (P) 1