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That debate was further complicated by a claim by the Iraqi prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, that Iraqi security forces were ready to take over and the US could leave whenever it wanted.
In a coordinated attack, insurgents exploded three bombs in Kirkuk, the biggest of which was an explosives-filled truck detonated by a suicide bomber. Many of the casualties were on a bus close to the truck.
<!-- This site/section combo is not set up to show MPU's -->The attacks resulted in one of the highest death tolls this year and the highest in Kirkuk since the invasion in 2003. One of the bombs exploded near the offices of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the party of the Iraqi president, Jalal Talabani. Police brigadier Burhan Tayeb Taha said the blast killed at least 80 people.
A second bomb exploded in a nearby market but there were no fatalities as it had been cleared after the first blast. A third, in the south of the city, killed a police officer and injured six others.
Earlier this month, in Armili village, near Tuz Khurmatu town, 50 miles south of Kirkuk, more than 130 people were killed in a blast.
Kirkuk is a volatile city, populated by Kurds and Arabs at odds over the distribution of revenue from nearby oil fields.
Witnesses described a large crater in the middle of the city where the truck exploded. Police said there could be more bodies buried under the rubble.
Kawa Ibrahim, who works for the PUK, told Reuters: "I was sat in my office and all I saw were the walls and roof collapsing on me."
The attack came as Mr Maliki sparked consternation in Washington by saying Iraqi forces were ready to take over responsibility for security and the US forces could leave "whenever they want". That is not helpful to Mr Bush, who claims a premature departure would produce more bloodshed.
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