A vehicle bomb detonated outside an Iraqi police station in the northern city of Kirkuk on Monday, killing and wounding dozens of people, police said.  

About 20 policemen had gathered in front of the Rahimawa police station to get their day's orders when the morning blast went off, said the station's chief, Col. Adel Ibrahim.

The explosion heavily damaged nearby buildings and destroyed cars.

Kirkuk's police chief, Torhan Abdul Rahman Yousef, said dozens of people were killed and wounded. He did immediately have precise figures.

Ambulances rushed to the scene, and police cordoned off the area, refusing to talk to reporters.

It was the latest in a string of vehicle and suicide bombings to target Iraqi security forces and others seen as cooperating with the US-led occupation, killing more than 300 people, most Iraqis, this year. On Feb. 1, twin suicide bombers killed 109 people at two Kurdish party offices in the northern city of Irbil.

Ethnically divided Kirkuk has also seen tensions as Kurds, Arabs and other groups vie for domination of the city, which is located in an area rich with oil fields.

(China Daily February 23, 2004)