A parked car rigged with a bomb exploded today in Baghdad’s eastern neighbourhood of Rashad, killing two civilian pedestrians and injuring five others.

At least 11 Iraqi policemen were killed after being caught in an ambush in eastern Baghdad today.

Gunmen have assassinated a senior Iraqi judge and killed his bodyguard today in a series of shootings of government employees and policemen that highlight grave security risks ahead in the run-up to this weekend’s elections.