At least 25 people have been killed by a car bomb at a market in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, officials say.

 

The attack came as Iraqis celebrated the the withdrawal of US troops from towns and cities in Iraq, six years after the invasion.

 

Iraqi and US troops have been on alert for attacks during the pullback, which was declared a national holiday.

 

Ten days ago more than 70 people were killed in a truck bombing in Kirkuk - the deadliest attack in over a year.

 

Police Brig Gen Sarhat Qadir told the Associated Press news agency at least 40 people had been wounded in the latest blast, caused by an explosives-laden vehicle parked near the crowded market.

 

 

 

Kirkuk, about 250km (155 miles) from Baghdad, was also the scene of two suicide bombings last month, in which 14 people were killed.

 

The city is the centre of northern Iraq's oil industry, and home to a volatile mix of Kurds, Arabs, Christians and members of the Turkmen community.

 

Sunni insurgents and groups including al-Qaeda remain active in the area despite security improvements in other parts of the country, correspondents say.

 

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8127222.stm

Will Iraqi's ever get the peace they crave? Those bombers are traitors of Islam.

Don't you just hate when that happens?