Wire: Car Bomb Kills at Least 24 People in Kirkuk, Iraq

Off the Wire:

WASHINGTON, June 30, 2009 -- Newswire services today reported that a car bomb exploded in a crowded outdoor market in the northern Iraq city of Kirkuk on Tuesday, killing at least 24 people, police said, a deadly reminder of the challenges facing the Iraqi government even as it celebrated the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from cities, the Associated Press said.

The bombing marred what had otherwise been a festive day as Iraqis marked what the government decreed National Sovereignty Day.

It came hours after four U.S. soldiers were killed in combat Monday in Baghdad.

The withdrawal, which was completed on Monday, was part of a U.S.-Iraqi security pact and marks the first major step toward withdrawing all American forces from the country by Dec. 31, 2011. President Barack Obama has said all combat troops will be gone by the end of August 2010.

(Report from newswire sources.)

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