Car bomb in northern Iraq kills three

A car bomb exploded today in the industrial district of the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, killing at least three people and wounding 15.

The car was parked in the southern neighbourhood when it exploded as people were passing in the street, said police Capt. Farhad Talabani.

Police Brig. Gen. Sarhad Qader said it was not a suicide attack.

Car bombs have killed hundreds of people since the government of Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari took office on April 28.

The motive for the attack was unclear, but Kirkuk, a centre of Iraq’s oil industry, is the scene of ethnic rivalry among Arab, Kurdish and Turkomen populations.