A car bomb in Baghdad has killed two civilians and wounded four more this morning, police said, a day after Egypt’s top envoy to Iraq was kidnapped in an apparent bid to dissuade the country’s Arab neighbours from strengthening ties to the US-backed government.

SIX police officers were killed and 15 wounded in car bomb attacks on Iraq’s security services, as political factions wrangled over putting together a government.

The retired American general given the huge task of reconstructing post-war Iraq today visited the country’s northern Kurdish region.

Residents burned buildings and plundered banks, grabbing wads of money, as Iraq’s third city descended into anarchy today after US and Kurdish forces swept into Mosul and Saddam Hussein’s troops fled.

Saddam Hussein says Iraq is steadfast in the face of threats and he has rejected dialogue with Kurdish parties in the north of the country.