Islamic State Car Bomb Attack Kills Three Outside U.S. Consulate in Iraq

A car bomb explosion at the U.S. Consulate in Iraq reportedly killed three Friday as the Islamic State terror group took responsibility for the attack.

The explosion reportedly occurred Friday morning in the Christian neighborhood of Ankawa in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's Kurdistan region which houses the U.S. Consulate. According to Reuters, the Kurdistan region serves as an important ally region for the United States in their fight against the Islamic State terror group.

"It seems the consulate was the target," Nihad Qoja, the mayor of Erbil, told Reuters on Friday.

Three people were reportedly killed and five injured in Friday's attack, with none of the victims being members of the U.S. military or State Department.

"There was an explosion within the perimeter of the U.S. Consulate today, our protocol was activated and all personnel have been accounted for. There were no injuries to local guards or personnel," State Department spokesperson Marie Harf said Friday, as reported by Fox News.

"Local authorities responded and are securing the area. We will work with the authorities to investigate the facts of the explosion," Harf added to reporters.

Following the car's first explosion, the car reportedly started to move toward the heavily-guarded consulate building. As the car moved, security personnel reportedly fired at the moving vehicle, preventing the drivers from detonating any more explosives at a closer range to the U.S. building.

The State Department described Friday's attack as a "vehicle-borne improvised explosive device" that was detonated outside of the consulate building.