URGENT: Three killed, 79 injured in Kirkuk explosion

KIRKUK / IraqiNews.com: An explosion that took place in northern Iraq ’s oil-rich city of Kirkuk on Thursday had killed 3 persons and injured 79 others, a Kirkuk Health official reported.   “The final result of the suicide attack that took place close to the 1 st June Bank in central Kirkuk on Thursday has reached 3 killed and 79 injured,” Kirkuk Health Department’s Director-General, Dr. Siddiq Omar told IraqiNews.com news agency.   A booby-trapped car, driven by a suicide bomber, blew off close to a gathering of security men, close to 1 st June Bank in central Kirkuk , waiting to get their salaries, to kill and injure dozens of them, the city’s Police Director, Sarhad Qader told IraqiNews.com early in the day.   “The attack has caused severe damage, burning 2 houses, damaging 18 civilian cars along with huge damage to the bank’s building, along with killing and injuring dozens of people,” Qader stressed.   Kirkuk , 280 km to the north of Baghdad , is one of the areas in conflict between the central government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Region’s government in Arbil.   SKH (ST)   406