70 killed as truck bomb explodes near Shiite mosque in Iraq

Baghdad: Police said a truck bomb exploded as worshippers left a Shiite mosque in northern Iraq, killing at least 70 people and wounding nearly 200.

The explosion is the deadliest since April 24 when back-to-back suicide bombings by women attackers killed 71 people outside a Shiite shrine in Baghdad.

Major General Jamal Tahir, the police chief of Kirkuk, said the truck bomb exploded just after noon on Saturday in a town just outside the city.

He added that an investigation has yet to determine if the attack involved a suicide bomber or a parked truck.

Earlier, a police official said that at least eight houses were demolished by the blast and rescue teams are searching the rubble for more victims.

The blast comes as US troops have begun withdrawing from urban areas ahead of a June 30 deadline set by a security pact.

Iraqi officials have warned insurgents will try to undermine confidence in the government's ability to take over its own security.