Iraqi police say gunmen have attacked a convoy belonging to Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, killing at least six of his bodyguards and wounding as many as 15 others.
Early reports say the president was not in the convoy when the attack occurred about 90 kilometers south of Kirkuk.
The Associated Press quotes police as saying the security detail was returning cars from Iraq's Kurdish north to Baghdad when gunmen opened fire.
In other developments, Iraqi police say they have found the bodies of 36 men dumped in a river southeast of Baghdad.
Details are sketchy, but initial reports say the men were found in their underwear, each with a single bullet wound to the head.
The identities of the men and the motive behind the killings remain unclear.
Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters.
