Baghdad  - The leadership of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region on Saturday condemned the previous day's bombing in a marketplace in the town of Tall Afar in which at least 25 people were killed.

In an official statement the Kurdish leadership said it "vehemently denounces" the bombing, describing it as a mean "terrorist act."

The bomb blast on Friday evening was caused by a car bomb planted near a marketplace in Tall Afar, located in the northern Iraqi province of Nineveh close to the Syrian border.

The official death toll from the explosion had risen to 25 Saturday, with dozens injured.

Iraqi security forces detained one suspect, independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) reported. The suspect was under interrogation. No further information was given.

The bombing comes against a backdrop of rising political tension in the area as a result of the failure of Iraqi politicians to reach a consensus over the future of the multi-ethnic oil-rich region of Kirkuk.

The Iraqi parliament failed last week to pass a crucial election law with the issue of Kirkuk as the main bone of contention.

Turkmens and Arabs fear they would lose influence in the city to the Kurds, who currently control the political and security arenas in the region.

The stalemate has sparked a surge of violence, with a suicide bomber last week attacking a Kurdish demonstration.

A Kurdish mob meanwhile responded by attacking the nearby headquarters of the Turkmen political front, after which Turkmen guards fired on the crowd leaving 28 people dead and more than 200 wounded. (dpa)