Car bomb explodes in Iraq

Sunday night a car bomb exploded in the southern city of Basra, killing five people and wounding 10. Two other car bombs were discovered in the area and dismantled by police.

Photo: Car bomb explodes in Iraq

Car bombs are rare in the city, located near the Iranian border in the oil-rich Shiite south of the country. However, tensions have been rising there due to political-infighting among Shiite groups.

The explosion occurred in a western district of Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, 550 kilometers (340 miles) southeast of Baghdad, police said. Police responding to the explosion discovered the other two vehicles before they could explode.

The blast occurred in an area containing several restaurants frequented by followers of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, police said.

Al-Sadr's group is among several factions locked in a power struggle with a rival Shiite party, Fadhila, for control of the city.