Five dead as car bomb explodes in Baghdad market

At least five people were killed and 20 others wounded in a car bombing in a mainly Sunni area north-west of Baghdad today, police said.

The explosives-laden car was parked near pavement sellers at an outdoor market in Haditha.

The attack is the latest in a series of blasts which have raised concerns about the ability of Iraqi forces to protect the population as US troops prepare to withdraw by the end of 2011.

Haditha is in Anbar province, which was one of the most dangerous areas in Iraq until Sunni tribal leaders joined forces with the US military to fight al-Qaida in Iraq.