The Islamic State group on Tuesday claimed responsibility for a car bomb attack that rocked the former jihadist stronghold of Tal Afar in northern Iraq and killed two people.

"A car bomb exploded near a cafe in the Ras al-Jadah district in the centre of Tal Afar," said Abed Alaal Abbas, an official in the city some 70 kilometres (40 miles) west of Mosul.

The blast "killed two and wounded 11 other civilians", he told AFP.

Iraq's joint operations command confirmed the toll.

IS claimed responsibility for the attack on the Telegram messaging application, saying the blast killed three.

It was the first attack in Tal Afar since Iraqi forces retook the city from the IS in August last year.

The recapture of the city, which lies between Mosul and the Syrian border, was hailed as a major victory against the jihadists, who seized nearly one third of Iraq in a sweeping 2014 offensive.

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