27 killed in Iraqi twin bomb explosion

At least 27 people were killed and around a hundred wounded when a bomb hidden in a car exploded in a parking lot outside the main police offices in the oil-rich city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq on Thursday, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Almost all of them were police officials, firefighters and security personnel.

The first bomb explosion took place at the parking lot, where police officials and Kurdish Intelligence officers often get together for tea. Police and firefighters went to a garage at police headquarters in Kirkuk after reports that a bomb had exploded in a parked car in the parking lot. Once the officers had fallen into the catch, approximately after five minutes, the second bomb detonated the second bomb, killing at least 27 of them, said witnesses and security officials.

At least 50 cars got burned and the police headquarters got tremendously damaged in the explosion.

Almost half an hour after the second bomb blast in Kikruk, another bomb exploded in a vehicle in which police criminal-investigation commander was travelling. He along with five other members was injured, reported the Washington Post.

Earlier this month, there was another car bombing that took place outside a police station in the city of Hillah that killed 16 people, which also included officers. There have been several explosions in the city most of which seems to be targeted on the police officials.

This has the fingerprint of Al Qaeda, said Brig. Jamal Tahi, Kirkuk's police chief.

I always left my car in this park. Most of our friends left their cars in this place, said police officer Fadl Ahmed. I saw about 20 policemen's bodies. There were too many wounded. Everyone was crying. There was too much blood all over the place. I saw one of my officers. I had said good morning to him by the lot and when I came back, he was dead.