Car bomb kills three Iraqi soldiers north of Baghdad

Three Iraqi soldiers have been killed in a bomb blast north of Baghdad, an Iraqi official said today.

The attack came hours before the nation's parliament is to reconvene after Sunni-backed politicians ended their boycott in protest at persecution of Sunni officials.

Major Ghalib al-Karkhi, a police spokesman in Diyala province, said a parked car bomb was detonated near a military patrol in Baqouba late yesterday, killing three soldiers and injuring three others.

Baqouba is a former al Qaida stronghold, 35 miles (60km) north-east of Baghdad.

Al Qaida has frequently targeted Iraqi security forces since the US troops left in December.

The group appears to be exploiting a political crisis that erupted after the Shiite-led government issued an arrest warrant for the Sunni vice president on terrorism charges.

AP