Kirkuk blast wounds 8

KIRKUK / IraqiNews.com: Eight persons on Thursday were wounded in a blast that occurred in northern Kirkuk city, according to a local police chief. “On Thursday, an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated near a restaurant on the road leading to Arbil city, wounding eight individuals in an initial count,” Brig. Sarhad Qadir told IraqiNews.com. 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