Kirkuk Carnage: 42 Killed, 115 Wounded across Iraq

by , February 03, 2013

At least 36 people were killed and as many as 105 more were wounded in a complex attack on an army base in central Kirkuk. The attack began when a suicide bomber drove to the entrance and detonated a massive bomb as guards were inspecting the car. The vehicle reportedly was painted to resemble a police car. A second suicide driver and vehicle may have been involved. Three gunmen dressed in police uniforms and wearing suicide vests then attempted to storm the base. All three were killed before detonating any more explosives other than grenades.

A local police chief was among the injured. The bomb also damaged many buildings adjacent to the base, including a government office building. Forty cars are said to have been damaged as well. A number of militant groups operate in Kirkuk, which is at the center of a territorial dispute between the Iraqi and Kurdish government. The mixed city sits on top of a huge oil field that both governments covet.

Meanwhile, another six people were killed and six more were wounded in other attacks.

Near Samarra, an I.E.D. killed three military personnel. Gunmen killed a Sahwa leader.

Gunmen killed a civilian in Tarmiya.

Four civilians were wounded in a blast in Madaen.

In Gatoun, a bomb at a home wounded a married couple. A civilian was shot dead in a separate incident.

An I.E.D. targeting two judges in Raweh exploded without leaving casualties.

Mortars landed on an army H.Q. near Falluja, but no casualties were reported.

Read more by Margaret Griffis