Two people were killed and six others injured on Wednesday in a car bomb explosion south of the capital city of Mosul of Nineveh province, a provincial police source said.
A booby-trapped car parked at a popular marketplace in the town of al-Qayyara, some 50 km south of Mosul, detonated shortly before midday, killing two civilians and wounding six others, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
Two of the wounded were in critical condition, the source said, adding that the blast also damaged several nearby shops and civilian cars.
Nineveh province, and its capital, some 400 km north of Baghdad, is said to be one of the last strongholds of al-Qaida fighters in the war-torn country.
The province has been the scene of a major security crackdown carried out by U.S. and Iraqi security forces aimed at uprooting al-Qaida militants and other anti-U.S. insurgent groups.
Violence has dropped to a four-year low, while sporadic car bombings, roadside bombs and suicide attacks are still haunting the Iraqis.
Source:Xinhua
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