18 killed in bomb attacks in Baghdad

Six people were killed and ten wounded when a car bomb followed by a roadside bomb detonated near a school in southern Baghdad, on Sunday, an interior ministry source said.

"A car bomb parking near the al-Shumoos school in the Saidiyah district detonated at about 4:30 p.m., killing five people and wounding 25 others wounded," the source said.

"The first attack followed by a roadside bomb detonated near a police patrol which arrived at the scene to secure the area, killing a policeman and wounding five others," the source added.

US and Iraqi security forces cordoned off the scene after the bombings, the source said.

Earlier, two suicide car bombers struck a police station in Baghdad's southern district of Eilam, killing 12 people, including two policemen, and wounding 95, including 40 policemen, a police source said.

The double attack also heavily damaged the police station building and destroyed dozens of police vehicles and civilian cars.

Violence persists in Baghdad despite the presence of tens of thousands of US and Iraqi soldiers across the capital in a major security crackdown aimed at curbing insurgency and sectarian violence in the war-torn country.

First Published: Apr 22, 2007 23:42 IST