58 persons killed in Irbil; 20 killed south Kerbala; Wolfwitz in Baghdad
Iraq-USA, Military, 2/2/2004

The number of persons killed in two suicide explosions that targeted the headquarters of the two main Kurdish parties to the north of Iraq increased to 57 persons, at least, and wounding more than 225 persons, while a Kurdish minister said that the number of killed might increase to more than 100.

The two explosions took place in the headquarters of the Kurdistani Democratic party and the Kurdistani National Federation party, the two main groups for the Kurds in Northern Iraq, yesterday morning, while receiving visitors on the occasion of Eid al-Adha holiday.

The two suiciders blew up themselves in two reception halls for the headquarters of the party where hundreds of congratulators met on the occasion of the holiday.

The human rights minister in Kurdistan district, Muhammad Ihsan, said that among the killed persons are ministers in the local government and several remarkable officials and the police commander.

Ihsan said that figures concerning the killed persons are estimated and is increasing. He added that he is sure that 60 persons were killed in the explosion of the Kurdistani National Federation and 80 in the Kurdistani Democratic party as well as a large number of wounded people.

Medical sources admitted that the number of wounded people who were admitted to three hospital in Irbil reached 235, at least.

News reports in Irbil said that among the killed is Shakhwan Abbas, the official of Irbil branch of the Kurdistani National Federation, led by Jalal al-Talibani, and Saad Abdullah member of the political bureau in the Kurdistani Democratic party, led by Masoud al-Barazani.

In another development, some 20 Iraqis were killed in the explosion which took place in an ammunition store to the south of Iraq on Saturday midnight, 180 Km to south west of Karbala.

The Polish news agency quoted the spokesman for the multinational forces in southern Iraq that the "attackers entered the store in order to steal the ammunition, but the store blew up." The double explosion in Irbil and the third in Karbala came after a day which witnessed the killing of 11 Iraqis, 6 Palestinians and 4 American soldiers in separate attacks.

These fields developments, however, coincide with the arrival yesterday to Baghdad of the US under defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, one of the main planners of the war against Iraq, in an undeclared visit in order to evaluate the security situation in Iraq.

He told journalists traveling with him to Baghdad that one of his main objectives from the visit is to evaluate the situation in Iraq and to inspect the American forces, and to know about their vision for the situation on the ground, noting that the three months which followed his last visit to Iraq "was eventful" during which the toppled Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was captured.

This is, however, the third time in which Wolfowitz visits Iraq. During his previous visit in October 2003 the hotel where he stayed was exposed to a missile shelling that resulted in killing one American soldier and wounding of other 15 persons.

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