Five blasts in Iraq's Kirkuk kill 18, wound 37

Kirkuk, Iraq: In an appartent coordinated attak, three car bombs and two roadside devices killed 18 people and wounded 37 in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk on Monday, police said.

The blasts happened in different parts of the city but exploded within a few minutes.

One car bomb targeted the local offices of the secular political party of former prime minister Iyad Allawi, another one targeted a government building and the third exploded in a commercial street, Brigadier Sarhat Qader said.

The three roadside bombs targeted Iraqi police and army patrols, Qader said.

Kirkuk, 250 km north of Baghdad, is a city disputed by Arabs, ethnic Kurds and Turkmen, and violence there is common. Settling its final status is one of the most sensitive issues in Iraq.