Three people were killed on Friday when a car bomb blasted off just outside the U.S. diplomatic organ in Erbil, Iraq.

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the relatively rare attack in the Sunni heartland.

Reuters reports that no U.S. personnel were hurt during the incident. The U.S. State Department said an improvised explosive device was used, which exploded outside the entrance of the U.S. Consulate.

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The Kurdish region of Iraq plays a significant part in the multinational coalition led by the U.S. that aims to "degrade and destroy" ISIS, whose terror activities were threatening to spread over Erbil.

A witness told Reuters that gunfire was heard following the blast. This was followed by a column of black smoke rising above the district of Ankawa, whose cafés are popular among foreigners. The Ankawa district is also the main neighborhood for Christians.

Erbil city mayor Nihad Qoja told Reuters it appeared the Islamic State's target was the consulate.

Ankawa's head of security, Sherzad Farmand, reported that 14 people were wounded during the explosion, which he believes was the ISIS' way of showing its presence in the region.

On Friday, the Islamic State also claimed responsibility for the bombings of two cars in Baghdad. The incident claimed the lives of at least 27 people.

"The fighters of the Islamic State detonated two car bombs in the heart of the Iraqi capital this evening and a third in Erbil," the terror group announced in its news platform.

A counterterrorism official said they have no doubts that ISIS was responsible for the consulate attack. The attacks in Kurdistan were seen to be relatively rare as the region has managed to keep itself away from the violence happening in other regions in the country.

TagsISIS, Erbil, Iraq, Kurdish region, Ankawa region, Nihad Qoja, Sherzad Farmand, Reuters