10 Iraqis killed in suicide car bomb attacks

A suicide car bomb hit a police patrol near the Iraqi Oil Ministry in Baghdad today, killing nine Iraqis and wounding nine.

The attack occurred on Palestine Street in eastern Baghdad, about 400 yards from the ministry, said police Capt. Nabil Abdul Qadir.

The dead included five policemen and four civilians, and the wounded four policemen and five civilians, he said.

Earlier today, in another part of eastern Baghdad, a suicide car bomb exploded near a convoy of private security contractors on Nidhal Street, killing one Iraqi bystander and wounding eight others, police said.

It was not immediately clear whether anyone in the convoy of four white SUVs was hurt.

Police first described the target as a US military convoy, but later said it carried foreign private security contractors who may have been American.

The attack on the convoy occurred at about 9.30am local time in a commercial area and damaged at least three civilian cars and nearby shops, said police Maj. Mohammed Yunis.