At least 7 killed, 25 wounded in twin car bombs in Iraq

At least seven people were killed and more than 25 wounded in two car bomb explosions in a town in Salahudin province north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Thursday, a provincial police source told Xinhua.

The first attack occurred in the morning when a car bomb detonated in the center of al-Dujail town, some 60 km north of Baghdad. Minutes later, another car bombing followed targeting security forces and civilians who gathered at the site of the first blast, the source said on condition of anonymity.

The attackers apparently followed old tactic which depends on creating an initial explosion to attract security forces and people, and then setting off another blast to get heavier casualties, the source said.

The toll could rise as many of the victims were evacuated by ambulances and civilian cars to several hospitals and medical centers in the city, the source added.

Salahudin province is a capital city of Tikrit, some 170 km north of Baghdad.

The attack came a day after a series of massive bombings and shootings in northern and central the country which killed a total of 31 people and wounded more than 250.

Violence and sporadic high-profile bomb attacks are still common in Iraqi cities despite the dramatic decrease in violence since its peak in 2006 and 2007, when the country was engulfed in sectarian killings.

R.S