Nine killed in roadside bomb attacks in Iraq

BAGHDAD - Two separate roadside bomb attacks targeting Iraqi security forces killed nine people on Monday, including four civilians, the police said.

The first roadside bomb struck a police patrol vehicle in Mahaweel, about 56 kilometers (35 miles) south of Baghdad, killing four policemen and three civilian bystanders, the police said.

Earlier Monday, an improvised explosive device struck an army patrol in east Baghdad's Palestine Street and killed one Iraqi soldier and one civilian, the police said. The attack also wounded five soldiers and two other civilians and badly damaged the patrol car.

The attacks came a day after a truck bomb explosion in a Sunni area of northern Baghdad killed 12 people and wounded 23, raising concerns about a revival of sectarian conflict.