Iraqi officials say three roadside bomb blasts have killed eight Iraqi soldiers and wounded seven others.
Authorities in Diyala province say two roadside bombs targeted an army convoy on Thursday in a village near the town of Jalula, north of Baghdad. Six soldiers died and five were wounded.
Officials say another bomb exploded near Iraq's oil-rich city of Kirkuk, killing two Iraqi soldiers and wounding two others.
Insurgents have frequently targeted Iraqi security forces in a bid to disrupt recent security gains that have led to a sharp, overall decline in violence.
Also Thursday, police say the local head of the Shi'ite Badr political group was shot and killed in Amerli district, south of Kirkuk.
And Iraqi security forces seized several weapons and explosives during search operations in a number of villages near Kirkuk early Thursday.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
