Iraqi officials say a wave of attacks has killed at least 17 people and wounded more than 50 others, including policemen and Iraqi soldiers.
Police said at least 13 people were killed Wednesday when a car bomb exploded outside a restaurant near the city of Hilla, about 90 kilometers south of the capital, Baghdad. At least two policemen were among the dead, and the attack wounded at least 40 others.
In Anbar province officials say a bomb attached to a vehicle exploded at a military base in the town of Habbaniyah, killing two soldiers and wounding 10 others.
Meanwhile officials say gunmen opened fire on a security patrol in northern Baghdad, killing two policemen and wounding another.
The attacks come as the United States moves ahead with plans to withdraw its troops from Iraq by the end of the year. Violence is down from its height in 2006 and 2007, but both U.S. and Iraqi officials have expressed concern about Iraq's ability to cope with security after a U.S. withdrawal.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
