Suicide truck bomb hits police in Iraq's Kirkuk

KIRKUK, Iraq, Jan 17 (Reuters) A suicide bomber driving a truck packed with explosives hit a police station in central Kirkuk today and residents reported many casualties, though police had no immediate details on the dead and wounded.

A police source said many buildings in the area suffered severe damage from the blast, but declined to confirm reports of casualties. One resident of the northern Iraqi city told Reuters he saw many casualties lying in the street and several buildings had collapsed.

Sitting atop one of the world's richest oil fields, Kirkuk is just outside the borders of the largely autonomous Kurdistan region and its population is a volatile mix of Kurds, Turkmen and Sunni and Shi'ite Arabs.

Iraqi security forces are frequently targeted by bombers seeking to undermine the US-backed Iraqi government. Police in many areas are also infiltrated by militias, making them a target for rival armed groups.

REUTERS MS VV1600