Three killed in Iraqi suicide car blast

A suicide car bomb exploded in front of a provincial government building in northern Iraq today, killing three people and wounding 14, police said.

The blast at noon (local time) in the city of Baqouba only slightly damaged the Diyala province office building because it is surrounded by concrete barriers to defend itself against such insurgent attacks.

But the explosion damaged 10 nearby stores and hit some of the people walking and shopping in the area, said police Col. Adnan Hussein.

He said three civilians were killed and 14 Iraqis wounded: 13 civilians and one policeman. The blast also damaged a parked car.

About an hour later, a second suicide car bomb exploded in another part of Baquoba near a police checkpoint, but caused no injuries, the city’s police control centre said.

Baqouba is 35 miles north-east of Baghdad.