Baghdad - Three civilians were killed and 27 wounded in a blast Tuesday in west Mosul, 400 kilometres north of Baghdad, a security source said.

"Three people died and 27 were injured when a car exploded 60 kilometres west of Mosul," Abdullah Negm was quoted by Voices of Iraq (VOI) news agency as saying.

The source said three policemen wereamong the injured. Negm added that the car, which was parked, was not near any military or security targets.

This is the first explosion since military operations started in Nineveh province on May 10 to track gunmen and lessen violence.

In other news Tuesday, six civilians were wounded east of Mosul when an explosive device targeted a police patrol.

A source, who asked not to be named, told VOI that police seized nine tons of explosives and arrested a suspect in the northern city. (dpa)