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Iraq blast kills 24

BAGHDAD: A car bomb exploded in a crowded outdoor market in the northern city of Kirkuk on Tuesday, killing at least 24 people, police said.

It came hours after four U.S. soldiers were killed in combat on Monday in Baghdad.

Despite the continued violence, Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki assured Iraqis that government forces taking control of urban areas were more than capable of ensuring security. “Those who think that Iraqis are not able to protect their country and that the withdrawal of foreign forces will create a security vacuum are committing a big mistake,” he said in a nationally televised address.

He later appeared at a military parade to mark the withdrawal of U.S. troops in the walled-off Green Zone in central Baghdad, with soldiers and policemen marching in formation while Iraqi helicopters flew overhead.

The car bomb exploded as the vegetable and poultry market was crowded with people shopping for their evening meal, the police said.

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