Carnage in the north

Kirkuk, Iraq

A suicide bomber this week killed at least 80 people in the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, an area that has largely escaped the carnage afflicting the rest of Iraq. A massive truck bomb detonated near the headquarters of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, the political party of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, destroying several buildings and leaving a huge crater in the road. More than 150 people were wounded, many of them maimed or blinded. Tensions have been rising in Kirkuk as the city grows more diverse. Saddam Hussein kicked out the Kurds and Turkmen native to Kirkuk and replaced them with Sunni Arabs. Since Saddam’s demise, the deportees have been returning. Later this year, residents will vote on whether to join semi-autonomous Kurdistan, an issue that pits Kurds against Arabs.

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