Iraq officials say car bombing near protest camp north of Baghdad kills 4 civilians, wounds 6

BAGHDAD – Officials say a car bomb explosion has killed four civilians and wounded 6 others north of Baghdad.

A police officer says the explosives-laden vehicle was parked near a protest camp in the city of Samarra when it exploded Friday. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to release information.

The head of the Salahuddin provincial health directorate, Raed Ibrahim, confirmed the casualty figures. Samarra is 95 kilometers (60 miles) north of Baghdad.

Since December, Iraq's Sunni minority community has been staging demonstrations over what they call second-class treatment by the Shiite-led government. In some place clashes erupted between security forces and protesters. The deadliest was in the northern town of Hawija in April, where 23 people were killed.