At least 12 people killed in Iraq clashes

The attack came shortly after a car bomb exploded in a market on the outskirts of the capital in the small town of Husseiniya.

Twelve Iraqis were killed in a series of attacks around Iraq on Friday, security officials said.

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A bomb exploded in the centre of Baghdad, killing three people and wounding 16, said an official with the Iraqi defence ministry.

The attack came shortly after a car bomb exploded in a market on the outskirts of the capital in the small town of Husseiniya killing another three people and wounding 15.

Baghdad, meanwhile, echoed with the sounds of machinegun fire as Iraqi soldiers clashed with insurgents in the Fadhel neighbourhood, wounding nine people, including three soldiers.

Iraqi state television described the clashes as an operation against "terrorist hideouts" in the commercial heart of the city.

Meanwhile, a suicide car bomber attempted to ram a joint US-Iraqi patrol in the northern oil city of Kirkuk.

The blast missed the patrol but killed three bystanders and wounded four, including a child.

In the southern city of Samawa, clashes between security forces and armed elements continued into a second day, with two policemen being killed on today.

A man was also killed in Iskandiriyah, just south of Baghdad, when a roadside bomb exploded next to a mini-bus.