Police officer killed in Baghdad blast

A bomb blast near a security checkpoint in southern Baghdad on Monday killed a police officer and wounded seven people, including three soldiers.

A bomb blast near a security checkpoint in southern Baghdad on Monday killed a police officer and wounded seven people, including three soldiers, police said.

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"A police captain was killed and seven people among them three soldiers were wounded when the bomb exploded," a police official told AFP.

The blast occurred near a checkpoint on a road leading into Zafaraniyah neighbourhood in southern Baghdad, he added.

Attacks of all types have been sharply down across Iraq in recent months, according to US commanders, who recognise however that insurgents are able still to strike and that with provincial elections scheduled for January 31 an increase in violence is expected.