Two senior policemen escaped death on Thursday in the Kirkuk district while a Humvy vehicle, owned by the US army, was destroyed by fire due to a bomb attack in the "Tawz" locality in the Kirkuk province. Speaking in a news statement, the Iraqi police confirmed that Kirkuk's chief of police, Colonel Burhan Tayyeb Taher escaped a roadside car bomb, which exploded near him as he was driving in the proximity of Kirkuk's fourth bridge. According to the statement, the incident left one policeman injured and caused material damage to one of the vehicles in the chief's convoy.Another senior policeman, this time the head of the Howeija town in the Kirkuk district, also escaped death when his home was attacked by unknown gunmen early on Thursday. The home was riddled with bullets. Two of the policemen, who were with the chief sustained injuries. But the home was significantly damaged.
Meanwhile, a roadside bomb exploded near a US army patrol as it was driving on the outskirts of the town of Tawz, in the Kirkuk district. According to the statement, the attack resulted in a Humvee vehicle that was burned down. But there was no immediate report of any injuries or death among the soldiers of the patrol.
Moreover, Iraqi forces together with soldiers from the Multinational Force have arrested about 49 armed men in Iraq and confiscated weapons and ammunition in various parts of Iraq. According to a statement by Iraqi Defense Ministry, nine gunmen were arrested while an arms cache was found in the city of Mosul in Northern Iraq. Seven other gunmen were arrested in the city of Tal Afar, north-west of Mosul. An arms and ammunition cache was also found in that locality, the statement said.