Iraqi civilian deaths dropped to their lowest level since the start of the Baghdad security operation, government figures showed, suggesting signs of progress in tamping down violence in the capital.

A suicide car bomb went off in a crowded market in northern Iraq today, moments after a booby-trapped vehicle exploded, killing at least nine people and injuring 60, police said.

About 70 victims of a mass kidnapping at an office of the Higher Education Ministry have been released, a ministry spokesman said today, but officials were unable to say how many remained captive.