An explosion in front of the offices of a Kurdish political party in the northern oil city of Kirkuk, killed four people, an official of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan said.

“An explosion took place at 10:30 this morning,” said Jalal Johar, the party’s representative in the city said. Four people were killed and several wounded, he said.

The PUK is a pro-US group whose head, Jalal Talabani, is the current head of the US-installed Iraqi Governing Council.

The latest bombing comes after a string of attacks and assassinations of politicians and community leaders who have cooperated with the US-led coalition.

Insurgents have warned they will target anyone who collaborates with the occupation authorities.

In the southern city of Basra, a representative of the Assyrian Democratic Movement was abducted and killed by unknown assailants while on his way to work, the party said.

“Sargoun Nanou Murado was ambushed by gunmen while heading towards his work,” said a party statement which condemned the killing. “The body of our party member was discovered in a city suburb.”

Murado was a member of Basra’s municipal council, his brother David Sargoun said.

The assassination is the second this week in the south of Iraq of people working with coalition authorities. In the town of Diwaniyah, gunmen on Tuesday killed the education ministry’s director general for that province.

A car bomb exploded outside the home of a tribal leader in a city west of Baghdad, killing one child in yet another attack aimed at a US ally.

The explosion in Ramadi targeted the house of Sheik Amer Ali Suleiman, according to his cousin, Yasser Ali. Suleiman was not injured but at least one child was killed, he said.

---