Al Qaeda claims responsibility for Iraq attacks

Al Qaeda Thursday claimed responsibility for attacks on police headquarters and a shopping mall in Iraq's Kirkuk city, in which 10 people were killed and 75 injured.

The outfit said six suicide bombers carried out the attacks. One of them drove a truck loaded with explosives, and the others wore explosive vests and had assault rifles and grenades, reported Xinhua.

"A suicide bomber blew up his explosives-laden truck at the gate of the headquarters, paving the way for his brothers. Then three attackers stormed the headquarters and started to reap the heads of the tyrants with their assault rifles and grenades before they set off their explosive vests," said a statement from the outfit.

Two other suicide bombers stormed the Jawahir mall and continued the attack until Wednesday midnight, when they blew up their explosive vests when security personnel entered the mall.

It also said the gunmen blew up 14 roadside bombs to prevent security personnel from reaching the scene of the attack.

Police said 10 people were killed and 75 injured in the attack on the police headquarters and the five-storey shopping mall.

The ethnically-mixed province of Kirkuk and its capital Kirkuk City are disputed areas between the Kurds, Arabs and Turkomans.

According to the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq, almost 7,650 Iraqis were killed and 17,370 others injured from January to November this year.