Egypt achieves record primary budget surplus of EGP 629bn despite sharp fall in Suez Canal revenues    Escalation in Gaza, West Bank as Israeli strikes continue amid mounting international criticism    Egypt recovers collection of ancient artefacts from Netherlands    Resumption of production at El Nasr marks strategic step towards localising automotive industry: El-Shimy    Egypt harvests 315,000 cubic metres of rainwater in Sinai as part of flash flood protection measures    Egypt, UNDP discuss outcomes of joint projects, future environmental cooperation    United Bank achieves EGP 1.51bn net profit in H1 2025, up 26.9% year-on-year    After Putin summit, Trump says peace deal is best way to end Ukraine war    Jordan condemns Israeli PM remarks on 'Greater Israel'    Egypt's Supreme Energy Council reviews power supply plans for 14 industrial projects    Egypt, Namibia explore closer pharmaceutical cooperation    Fitch Ratings: ASEAN Islamic finance set to surpass $1t by 2026-end    Renowned Egyptian novelist Sonallah Ibrahim dies at 88    Egypt's FM discusses Gaza, bilateral ties in calls with Saudi, South African counterparts    Egypt prepares to tackle seasonal air pollution in Nile Delta    Egyptian, Ugandan Presidents open business forum to boost trade    Al-Sisi says any party thinking Egypt will neglect water rights is 'completely mistaken'    Egypt's Sisi, Uganda's Museveni discuss boosting ties    Egypt's Sisi warns against unilateral Nile measures, reaffirms Egypt's water security stance    Egyptian pound closes high vs. USD on Tuesday – CBE    Egypt, Colombia discuss medical support for Palestinians injured in Gaza    Egypt, Huawei explore healthcare digital transformation cooperation    Egypt's Sisi, Sudan's Idris discuss strategic ties, stability    Egypt's govt. issues licensing controls for used cooking oil activities    Egypt to inaugurate Grand Egyptian Museum on 1 November    Egypt's Sisi: Egypt is gateway for aid to Gaza, not displacement    Greco-Roman rock-cut tombs unearthed in Egypt's Aswan    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Car bombs in northern Iraq kill 7
Published in Almasry Alyoum on 09 - 02 - 2011

Baghdad--Car bombs ripped through the oil-rich Iraqi city of Kirkuk on Wednesday, killing seven and wounding up to 80 people in the heart of a region of long-simmering ethnic tensions.
Three blasts struck outside the headquarters of the Kurdish intelligence forces known as the Asayish, on a highway and near a gas station in southern Kirkuk, located 290km north of Baghdad.
AP news footage showed police cars with blaring sirens racing to the Asayish headquarters as black and gray plumes of smoke rose from the first two attacks around 10 AM.
Minutes later, the third blast just down the street from the Asayish headquarters exploded near a taxicab and knocked people to the ground. The sounds of gunshots could be heard immediately after the last bombing.
Police Brig. Gen. Sarhat Qadir said seven were killed and up to 80 wounded in the explosions. He said the bomb along the highway targeted a police patrol led by a top commander, Col. Ahmed Shamerani, but he was not hurt in the blast.
Dr. Khalid Ahmed of Kirkuk emergency hospital confirmed the casualty count. Grocery owner Shakhwan Ahmed, 30, said the second blast shook his shop, sending fruit and boxes crashing to the ground.
"It was chaos--horrified people were running," said Ahmed, lamenting the attack after what he said was a nearly six-month lull in violence in Kirkuk. "There is no indication that there will be long-standing security in Iraq; there is always a security problem here. And terrorists are now telling us that they are coming back."
Kirkuk is the epicentre of ethnic tensions among Arabs, Kurds and Turkomen. The city also sits on top of one-third of Iraq's estimated US$11 trillion in oil reserves, and Arabs fear the Kurds want to annex Kirkuk to their northern autonomous region.
The regional tensions have stalled a long-awaited national census that would determine the real numbers of the country's religious and ethnic groups. But the count also could inflame the larger dispute over territory and oil between Iraq's central government and the semiautonomous Kurdish region in the north.
Central Statistics Authority spokesman Abdul-Zahra Hendawi said Wednesday the census is still stalled, which he blamed on "deep differences and mistrust" among Kirkuk's ethnic groups.
Last summer, Gen. Ray Odierno, who was then the top American military commander in Iraq, said UN peacekeeping forces may need to replace departing US troops in disputed region if the feud between Arabs and minority Kurds continues through 2011.
His comments underscored the fragility of the area's security--and the dangers if it is disrupted--although UN officials have not embraced his suggestion.
Earlier, two minor bombings that appeared to target police wounded six people in the Iraqi capital. The first blast wounded four outside the al-Ansar mosque in the Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City as a police patrol passed by. A few minutes later, the second bomb exploded on the nearby Mohammed al-Qasim highway.
Officials said two policemen who were on patrol were hurt. The police officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information about the Baghdad blasts.
Violence across Iraq has dropped dramatically from just a few years ago, but bombings and shootings still occur almost every day.


Clic here to read the story from its source.