Officials: An attack on a government building appears linked to al-Qaida

BAGHDAD - A car bomb exploded on Sunday outside government offices in a province west of the Iraqi capital, killing 17 people, officials said. It was the latest deadly hit on a favorite insurgent target.

At least 23 people were also wounded in Sunday's blast, according to police and hospital officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.