A bomb exploded today in a crowd of day labourers in central Baghdad, killing eight people and wounding 28, police said.

Eight Iraqi sailors detained by Iran after a weekend clash in a shared waterway were released early today, Iraqi officials said, but the body of a ninth sailor had not yet been repatriated.

Nine Iraqi sailors detained by Iran after a weekend clash involving an Iranian vessel are expected to be returned later today, according to Iraqi officials.

A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle near the central city of Ramadi, killing 11 Iraqi police commandos and injuring 14 other people including two US Army soldiers, the US military said today.