Seven killed in Iraq attacks

At least seven people were killed in Iraq on Thursday as US and Iraqi troops continued operations in Baghdad as part of the new security plan.

A car bomb exploded in the northeastern Baghdad district of Sadr City, killing three and injuring 17 others, police said.

Television pictures showed the car had been completely destroyed by the bomb, as crowds gathered round.

The injured, including children, were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

As troops moved into a Sunni neighbourhood in southern Baghdad, insurgents struck again with a double bombing .

Two parked car bombs struck the Dora neighbourhood – a long time Sunni militant area – near a major intersection with a highway leading to Shiite areas in the south, killing at least four civilians and wounding 15.

Oranges and other fruit from stalls at a nearby market were scattered among debris near the charred cars.

Another blast occurred close to an Iraqi police checkpoint on the southern edge of the district as patrols were passing, but no Iraqis were reported hurt.

In another attack, a car packed with explosives also targeted an Iraqi patrol in the Sunni district of Jamiaa in western Baghdad, wounding two soldiers, while clashes erupted in another volatile Sunni area leading to four arrests.

The Interior Ministry said US and Iraqi forces were sweeping through four main districts of the capital, including Sunni and Shiite areas, seizing various weapons and ammunitions