Iraq blasts kill at least five in Kirkuk

GlobalPost

A string of explosions hit the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk today, killing several, according to Reuters

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The exact death toll was not immediately clear, with Reuters reporting six dead and Al Jazeera five. 

Bombs struck two Shia religious sites in the city today, said Al Jazeera, while a separate attack on a Kurdish party office north of Baghdad reportedly took the lives of two security force trainees. 

Kirkuk, a majority Kurdish city, is the scene of ongoing negotiations between the Kurds and Iraqi government over disputed oil payments. 

The area contains some of the world's largest known oil reserves. 

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