Kirkuk attacks kill security, civilians

The gaping hole left behind by a car bomb in Kirkuk.

The blast killed four Iraqi civilians and injured seven others in the city's al-Wahda neighborhood late Monday.

Tension between Shi'ite, Kurdish and Sunni factions is high following a string of recent sectarian attacks across the country that have left residents living under threat.

(SOUNDBITE) (ARABIC) UNIDENTIFIED RESIDENT, SAYING:

"We have done nothing wrong, the political parties are involved in disputes. What did we do? We just want to live."

Three militants and one Kurdish guard were also killed when a car packed with explosives tried to break into a Kurdish security office.

No group claimed responsibility for any of Monday's attacks targeting government officials, police and both Sunni and Shi'ite communities.

About 2,000 people have been killed in Iraq this year following the withdrawal last December of U.S. troops.