Iraqi police say a car bomb targeting a police building has killed three people in the capital of Iraq's western Anbar province.

The bombing comes as Iraq is preparing for March 7 parliamentary elections. Insurgents have been repeatedly targeting government institutions in Anbar and the rest of Iraq in an attempt to destabilize the country ahead of the vote.

Police officials say a suicide bomber exploded the car outside the Internal Affairs office in the provincial capital, Ramadi.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Anbar province was considered the hotbed of the insurgency until many fighters turned against the insurgents in what is considered one of the key turning points of the war.