At least nine people have been killed by a car bomb outside the central Iraqi town of Khalis, officials say.

The explosion, about 44 miles (70km) north-east of the capital, Baghdad, was "very strong" a provincial official told a private TV station.

Hospital sources said the death toll was expected to rise, Reuters reports.

The blast comes a day after so-called Islamic State (IS) said it was behind a suicide bomb attack on a security checkpoint in Baghdad.

At least 20 people were killed in Sunday's attack.

It is not yet known who was behind the Khalis bombing.

In recent months, IS has lost control of some major towns and cities it seized in Iraq in 2014 and has stepped up suicide attacks in apparent response.