Asia-Pacific

17 killed, 23 wounded in Iraq bombings

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-12-12 17:06

RAMADI, Iraq - At least 17 people were killed and 23 others wounded in a suicide car bomb attack and a car bomb explosion outside Anbar provincial government offices on Sunday, a local police source said.

The two blasts occurred almost simultaneously at about 10:15 am (0715 GMT) when a suicide bomber drove a four-wheel vehicle packed with explosives to the entrance of the complex of Anbar government in central area of the provincial capital city Ramadi, killing seven, including policemen, and wounding nine others, a source from the provincial operations command told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The second blast took place at a nearby park, when a booby-trapped car detonated, killing 10 people and wounding 14 others, the source said.

The powerful blast at the park also left seven civilian vehicles totally charred, the source added.

Insurgent attacks continue in the once volatile Sunni Arab area west of Baghdad that stretches through Anbar province to Iraq's western borders with Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

The vast desert area has been relatively calm for more than three years after Sunni tribes and anti-US insurgent groups turned to cooperate with the US troops and Iraqi security forces against al-Qaida network in Iraq.