Four killed in Indonesia bus bombing

Four people were killed and at least 17 others injured today when a bomb exploded on a packed commuter bus in Indonesia, police said.

About 25 people were on board the bus, which was travelling towards Poso, the district capital of Central Sulawesi.

The province has a history of violence between Muslims and Christians.

Police said they were inspecting the badly damaged vehicle, but could not say who was behind the attack.

They said they were looking for three unidentified passengers who got off the bus before the blast.

Victims - some of them seriously injured - were rushed to a local hospital.

The bombing was the worst violence to hit the region since warring Muslims and Christians signed a peace agreement in December.

Two years of fighting - fuelled by the presence of the paramilitary Islamic group Laskar Jihad - have left about 1,000 residents dead and thousands more displaced.

Tensions have risen recently in Poso, where local newspapers said a series of home-made bombs exploded last week. No one was injured, but a number of shops were destroyed. Poso is located about 1,000 miles northeast of Jakarta.

The Jakarta Post said on Saturday that the Indonesian military had begun withdrawing about 1,500 troops from the region, and analysts said the security situation there appeared to be improving.