Car bomb south of Baghdad kills 7, wounds 12-police

HILLA, Iraq (Reuters) – A car bomb exploded at an Iraqi
police checkpoint south of Baghdad on Sunday, killing seven
people and wounding 12, police said.

The attack occurred about 50 km (30 miles) south of Baghdad
near the town of Haswa, the police department in nearby Hilla
said. The explosives-packed vehicle had been left by the side
of the road, near the checkpoint, and was detonated remotely.

All of those killed were civilians, the police said. Three
of the wounded were policemen.

Iraqi police and army checkpoints are frequently targeted
by insurgents, who see Iraqi security forces as allied to
U.S.-led forces and dismiss them as collaborators.

The area south of Baghdad, in and around Hilla, has been
dubbed “the triangle of death” by U.S. forces because of the
frequency of insurgent attacks. Iraqi forces have set up
multiple checkpoints in the area to try to stem violence.

On Saturday, a car bomb exploded at a police checkpoint
near the National Theatre in central Baghdad, killing at least
five people and wounding more than 20, police said.

In southern Iraq, which has been more stable than central
regions, a roadside bomb blew up as a British consular convoy
was passing, killing two British security guards.