Four school children killed in bomb attack in Iraq's Mosul

MOSUL, Iraq, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Four female school children were killed and seven others injured in a bomb explosion in Iraq's northern city of Mosul on Wednesday, a local police source said.

An explosive-charge hidden in a garbage container went off in the afternoon near a primary school in the al-Rashidiyah neighborhood in northern Mosul, killing four female school children and wounding seven others, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The bomb apparently was targeted a passing U.S. patrol, but the explosion missed its target, hitting the children who were leaving the school to their homes instead, the source said.

Anger and resentment rose among the residents of the neighborhood as all the victims were under 12 years old, the source added.

Nineveh province, with its capital city of Mosul, some 400 km north of Baghdad, is said to be one of the last strongholds of al-Qaida fighters and other insurgent groups in the war-torn country.

Despite security gains in recent months in Iraq, there are still sporadic bombings targeting U.S. troops, Iraqi security forces and civilians, which shape setback to the Iraqi government.