It was a day like any other day - except that it was the seventh anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq. And, for the most part, that was forgotten.

Former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Friday she would "many times over liberate" Iraq again, but she regretted the Bush administration failed to work closer with Iraqis to rebuild the war-torn country.

A suicide car bomber killed four people and wounded 29 others, when his vehicle exploded in a busy street during the morning rush hour in western Iraq.

Early results released by Iraq's election committee show the prime minister ahead in the oil-rich Basra province, strengthening his lead in the country's historic elections.

Early estimates from a range of Iraqi parties predict a coalition led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki will take the lead in the parliamentary race.