Slew of bombings target Iraqi police

A slew of bombings targeting Iraqi police in Baghdad has killed 10 people and wounded more than 20, Iraqi officials said.

In the mainly Shiite neighbourhood of Hurriyah, a suicide car bomber targeted a police station and killed six people, said two Baghdad police officials. Ten people were wounded in that blast.

In the southern Karradah neighbourhood, three people were killed and six wounded by another suicide car bomb attack on a police station, the officials said. Smoke could be seen rising from the blast site as ambulances rushed to the scene, their sirens wailing. Iraqi army helicopters circled overhead.

A parked car bomb exploded in western Baghdad targeting a police patrol, killing one civilian and injuring five people. Three people were also injured by a roadside bomb hitting a police patrol in western Baghdad.

A hospital official confirmed the causalities.

The blasts aimed at the police, generally considered to be the weakest section of the country's security forces, emphasised that despite Iraq's security gains, long-term stability in the country is still elusive.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility but such attacks are usually the work of Sunni militant groups such as al-Qa'ida in Iraq. They often target security forces in their attempt to destabilise the country and sow havoc.

The police are an especially vulnerable target among Iraq's security forces because they usually do not have the heavy weapons or equipment that the Iraqi army has. The military has received the bulk of the US training assistance since the war began.