At least seven people were killed and seven wounded on Tuesday in a car bomb explosion at a security checkpost in Iraq's Nineveh provincial capital of Mosul, the police said.

The suicide bomber drove his car into a security checkpost and triggered the explosion. The incident occurred in the al-Quds neighbourhood in southeastern Mosul, an official said, requesting anonymity.

The official said children were among the dead but could not confirm whether soldiers were also killed. Security forces have immediately cordoned off the area and the injured were rushed to hospitals, he said.

The Nineveh province, some 400 km north of Baghdad, is considered one of the last strongholds of al-Qaida fighters in the war-torn country.

The province has been the scene of a major security crackdown recently, carried out by the US and Iraqi security forces against al Qaida and other insurgent groups.

Violence has dropped to a four-year low in Iraq, though sporadic car bombings, and roadside attacks by militants continued, according to officials.