At least 25 people have been killed in an explosion near a Shi'ite mosque in northern Iraq.A further 150 people were hurt when the truck bomb flattened around 20 homes in the area, according to Iraqi police and local sources.
The blast struck a town south of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk.
Brig. Gen. Sarhat Qader said the explosion happened just after noon prayers.
It comes as US troops begin their withdrawal from urban areas in the country ahead of a June 30 deadline.
Iraqi officials warned they expect insurgents to stage attacks to try to undermine confidence in the government's ability to take over its own security.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has insisted the US troops will withdraw from the cities on schedule, saying it will be a "big victory" for the Iraqi people.
Iraqi officials say a parked car bomb has exploded in a Shiite area in the country’s south.
Police and hospital officials say there appear to be dozens of casualties but they don’t have specific numbers yet.
The officials say Wednesday’s blast was targeting a market district in the town of Bathaa.
They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information to media.
The town is near Nasiriyah, which is located about 200 miles (320 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad
The area been the site of past violence — mainly fierce internal fighting between Shiite militia factions before a cease-fire took hold.
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