BAGHDAD, June 19 (Xinhuanet) -- A car bomb detonated near a Shiite mosque in northern Baghdad on Sunday killed three Iraqis and wounded 26 others, police and witnesses said.

    An explosive-laden car blew up and apparently targeted a police convoy travelling on a street near the Shiite Husseiniyat al-Nuwab mosque in Baghdad's northern suburb of Kadhumiyah, the police said.

    Two of the killed and several of the wounded were policemen, according to witnesses.

    Five civilian cars were set on fire by the blast, which also caused minor damage to the mosque, they said.

    Insurgents have stepped up attacks on Iraq's fledgling security forces since a Shiite-dominated government was announced in late April, killing more than 800 people. Enditem