9 killed, 24 wounded in series of bomb attacks in Iraq

BAGHDAD, April 19 (Xinhua) -- At least nine people were killed and some 24 others were wounded in a series of bomb attacks, including a suicide bombing, in Iraq on Thursday, an Interior Ministry source told Xinhua.

One of the attacks, which occurred in the morning when a car bomb parked near a hotel in Kadhmiyah neighborhood detonated, killing two people and wounding seven others, the source said on condition of anonymity.

In central Baghdad, another car bomb detonated near a convoy of vehicles belonging to the Iraqi Health Ministry in al-Talaie Square, killing two people and wounding four others, the source said.

In a separate incident, a roadside bomb went off near a crowd of construction workers in al-Amil neighborhood, killing one of the workers and wounding six others, the source added.

In western Baghdad, two gunmen were killed in Ghazaliyah district when a roadside bomb detonated as they were trying to emplace it in the district, he said.

Near Baghdad, a suicide bomber blew up his car near a military checkpoint in the town of Tarmiyah, some 30 km north of Baghdad, killing a soldier and wounding two others, the source said.

Separately, two roadside bomb explosions ripped through Taji area, some 20 km north of Baghdad, killing a civilian and wounding five others, he added.

Violence is still common in the Iraqi cities despite dramatic decrease since its peak in 2006 and 2007 when the country was engulfed in sectarian killings.