Baghdad - Three Iraqi soldiers were killed and another soldier injured by a bomb blast in the northern Iraqi province of Kirkuk, an Iraqi army source said Friday.

The incident appeared to be the result of a roadside bomb that targeted an army patrol between the districts of al-Rashad and al-Humayra. The explosion totally destroyed the patrol vehicle, senior army officer, Shawan Shamirani told Voices of Iraq (VOI) news agency.

Also, in Kirkuk police found the bodies of a man and his wife. The two corpses showed signs of gun shots. It is believed that the deaths occurred five days ago, a police source who spoke on the condition of anonymity told VOI news agency.

Kirkuk is located some 250 kilometres north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. (dpa)