A series of bomb blasts went off in rapid succession in a shopping district in a main Christian neighbourhood of Baghdad on Wednesday, killing nine people and wounding 71, police said.
Other attacks around Iraq killed four others, and the US military announced the death of a soldier in the north -- the latest in what has been one of the bloodiest stretched of days for American troops this year.
A car bomb and two roadside bombs blew up in the span of 10 minutes just before noon in a shopping district of the Camp Sara neighbourhood, which is predominantly Christian, 1st Lt Ali Abbas said.
The blasts left nine dead and injured 71, including shoppers and 15 policemen, destroyed cars and collapsed part of a nearby building, he said.
Several cars were destroyed and part of a building collapsed, Abbas said.
In an earlier attack in the area, two policemen were killed and two others injured when their car was hit by a roadside bomb, Abbas said.
Meanwhile in Baqouba, 60 kms (35 miles) northeast of Baghdad, gunmen attacked a police patrol, killing two policemen and injuring five people, Diyala province police said.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile in Baqouba, 60 kms (35 miles) northeast of Baghdad, gunmen attacked a police patrol, killing two policemen and injuring five people, Diyala province police said.
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