'Scores of casualties' in Mosul market car bombing

A car bomb exploded in a crowded market in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul today causing Iraqi casualties, police and US military said.

Iraqi policeman Hassan Ahmed said preliminary reports suggested the blast caused scores of casualties in an eastern Mosul fruit and vegetable market.

US military spokesman Lt. Col. Paul Hastings confirmed a car bomb exploded, injuring Iraqi civilians.

Mosul, 225 miles north-west of Baghdad, has been the scene of regular attacks against US and Iraqi forces by insurgents aimed at derailing the country’s reconstruction.