Explosions rock Iraqi capital

Two car bombs shook Baghdad in quick succession today, killing at least eight Iraqis and wounding 16, police said. One American soldier was also injured.

A minibus packed with explosives detonated near a police academy in the Iraq capital, killing seven people plus the suicide attacker, Police Captain Ali Ayez said at the scene. About 15 people were wounded.

At least four mangled bodies were strewn in the street amid scattered shoes, papers and a handbag, Associated Press Television News footage showed.

The dead included three police academy students and a female officer, Ayez said.

U.S. forces assisted the wounded, including a police recruit who was receiving stitches in his abdomen at the scene.

At least eight cars were damaged and shards of glass covered the street.

Earlier reports indicated the blast might have been caused by a rocket, said Col. Adnan Abdul-Rahman of the Interior Ministry.

Another car bomb exploded near a small market in the area of the Culture Ministry, police Lt. Ahmed Hussain said at the scene. The blast wounded at least one bystander and left a gaping crater in the road.

The bomb may have been aimed at a passing American convoy, Hussain said.

Capt. Mitchell Zornes, of the U.S. 1st Cavalry Division, confirmed that a convoy was targeted in one of the blasts. One American soldier was wounded and evacuated to a medical facility, he said.

A wave of bombings, mortar attacks and shooting sprees targeting police and potential recruits has killed hundreds of people nationwide as insurgents try to thwart U.S. efforts to build a strong Iraqi force capable of taking over security from American troops.