Iraq: Police headquarters attacked, 30 dead.

On February 3rd, the police headquarters in Kirkuk, northern Iraq, suffered a series of serious attacks. At least 30 people were killed and around 70 were injured in the incident.

First, there was a suicide car bomb attack targeting the headquarters in downtown Kirkuk. Next, the attackers threw grenades. The vehicle used in the bombing was painted to resemble a police car, and the attackers disguised themselves as police officers.

The scene of a bombing at a police headquarters in Kirkuk. (Source: BBC)

According to witnesses, after the bomb explosion, three individuals carrying grenades and wearing suicide vests attempted to storm the police station through the main entrance but were quickly neutralized.

In addition to heavy casualties, the attack caused significant damage to nearby buildings and shops. Police virtually blocked traffic in central Kirkuk, evacuating offices and businesses from the scene to continue detonating the suicide vests of the attackers.

No organization has yet claimed responsibility, but Sunni Muslim militants, including leading members of the al-Qaeda terrorist network in Iraq, frequently target security forces and the government in an attempt to destabilize Iraq and plunge it back into bloody ethnic conflict similar to what occurred between 2005 and 2008.

The devastating attack shattered the relatively calm atmosphere of the past few days in Iraq, signaling increased tensions amid an unfolding political crisis with numerous protests calling for Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's resignation.

Kirkuk, located 240 km north of Baghdad, is a multi-ethnic city with Arab, Kurdish, and Turkish populations. It is the center of a conflict over oil and land between the Baghdad government and the Kurdish autonomous community in the north of the country.

According to (VNA) - DT