Baghdad: A car bomb exploded on October 14 near the Turkish Embassy in Baghdad, killing the driver and injuring two staff members, the US military said. It was the second fatal car bombing in the Iraqi capital in three days.

A concrete security barrier close to the Embassy absorbed most of the blast and prevented further damage and injuries, US officials said.

A US military spokesman said an explosion occurred about 500 meters from the Embassy. US troops and Iraqi police sealed off the area and prevented journalists from approaching the building.

Witnesses said the car tried to approach the Embassy at mid-afternoon and suddenly exploded.

In Ankara, a Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman strongly condemned the attack and said the incident shows "how grave the security situation in Iraq is" and "how strong the need is for everyone to immediately contribute to ensure security and stability in the country".

Condemned the attack, a White House spokesman in US said, "Iraq remains the central front of the war on terrorism, and when we achieve a free and democratic and prosperous Iraq, we would have dealt a significant blow to the enemy."

The spokesman added that Bush had spoken with Commerce Secretary Don Evans, now on a visit to Iraq.

Meanwhile, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would not consider a bomb attack near the Embassy of Turkey in Baghdad as a warning to his country not to send soldiers into Iraq.

Erdogan said the attack only emphasized the necessity of fighting terrorism.

Agencies