36 killed, 70 wounded in Kirkuk explosion

KIRKUK / IraqiNews.com: Casualties from the explosion that rocked northern Kirkuk city earlier today have reached 106, according to a local police chief. “The toll has reached 36 dead and 70 wounded persons,” Maj. Gen. Farhad Abdelrahman told IraqiNews.com. A medic from Kirkuk Public Hospital had told IraqiNews.com that it received 15 bodies and 45 wounded persons after the blast that occurred near a restaurant on the road leading to Arbil city. The explosion comes amidst tight security measures in preparation for Iraqi President Jalal al-Talabani’s visit to the city. Kirkuk, 250 km (156 miles) north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, sits on the ruins of a 5,000-year-old settlement. Because of the strategic geographical location of the city, Kirkuk was the battle ground for three empires, Assyria, Babylonia and Media which controlled the city at various times. SS (P) 1