Baghdad (CNN) -- A suicide attack on an Iraqi police station in the southern city of Basra killed at least four people and wounded 19 others Monday morning, a police official said.
The bomber detonated a car loaded with explosives at an emergency police station in the al-Ashar neighborhood in central Basra, said Police Chief Faisal Al-Abadi.
Basra is located about 480 kilometers (nearly 300 miles) south of Baghdad.
A recent wave of violence has raised questions about the capability of Iraqi security forces to protect the country as U.S. troops prepare to leave by January 1.
CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq and journalist Muhaiman Najm contributed to this report.
