15 Iraqis killed, 25 injured in suicide attack in Karkouk

At least some 15 persons were killed and other 25 injured in a suicide bombing targeted a vehicle for the Iraqi police on Tuesday evening. This incident was in the context of a series of escalated attacks less than three weeks before the parliamentary elections due to be held in mid December.

Police sources said that the suicide attack took place at the outskirts of Karkouk city to the north of Iraq, noting that the executor of the attack waited until the security forces gathered to inspect the situation following an armed clash and then detonated the car he was riding.

In another development, one bomb went of during a celebration held to mark handing over the Iraqis former palaces for the toppled Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in Tikrit, north Iraq, in the presence of the American ambassador to Iraq Zalmai Khalil Zada and this resulted in slightly wounding one person.

The commander of the American forces in Iraq Gen. George Casey and Iraqi officials including the governor of Salah Eddin, Hamad Mahmoud al-Qubeisiand, the minister of justice Abdul Hussein Shandal were attending the ceremony when the bomb went off just 500 meters from the place where the celebrations were being held, directly after the beginning and this caused the participants to run for cover.

The guards of the American ambassador fell on him to protect him. The incident resulted in stopping the ceremony which was resumed again by hoisting the Iraqi flag instead of the American flag.

The governor of Salah Eddine received the keys of the complex, stressing that some of the palaces will be used as public buildings while others will be converted to a tourist complex.

In Karbala, three security guards were killed by gunmen in al-Ghadir area, 10 Km to the west of the city. In Ramadi, one security source said that three police men were killed by gunmen fire, while Abdul Wahab al-Duleimi, a former intelligence officer, was killed in a separate attack.