A large blast shook a hotel in the southern Iraqi city of Basra on Thursday, killing at least four people, witnesses said.
There were at least two wounded, including a child, hospital officials said.
Britished-patrolled Basra, in Iraq's mainly Shia south, has seen far fewer attacks than Baghdad and the Sunni Muslim areas surrounding the capital.
But today's blast at the al-Zeiytoun Hotel caused by a car bomb reflects an escalation of militant activity ahead of the first anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq on Saturday, March 20th.
