A car bomb exploded Tuesday at the entrance to an Iraqi army base as potential new recruits were massed at the gate, killing at least 25 people

A car bomb exploded Tuesday at the entrance to an Iraqi army base as potential new recruits were massed at the gate, killing at least 25 people, security and medical officials said.
  
The blast, which also left at least 30 people wounded, struck at around midday (0900 GMT) in the town of Taji, 25 kilometres (15 miles) north of Baghdad.
  
An interior ministry official put the toll at 26 dead and 30 wounded, while a medic said 25 people had died and 40 were hurt. It was not immediately clear how many of the victims were soldiers or new recruits.

The blast struck as the base was holding a recruitment day to welcome potential new soldiers, events which have previously been targets of militants intent on carrying out mass-casualty attacks in Iraq.