Triple blasts rock Iraqi city of Ramadi, killing 10

At least three explosions in the city of Ramadi on Thursday, 100 kilometres west of Bagdad, killed ten people and wounded 15 more near provincial government offices. A security official said the explosions were “probably” suicide attacks.

By News Wires (text)

AFP - At least three explosions near provincial government offices in the western Iraqi city of Ramadi killed 10 people and wounded 15 on Thursday evening, security officials said.

Two other officials said a fourth explosion took place in the city, 100 kilometres (60 miles) west of Baghdad, as emergency services rushed to the scene to help the casualties.

"At least 10 people were killed and 15 wounded when three simultaneous blasts hit the governorate offices in Ramadi, at 8:30 pm (1730 GMT)," a police lieutenant in the Al-Anbar provincial capital said.

The officer said the casualty toll was a preliminary one and added that the bombings were probably "suicide attacks targeting policemen present in the area."

A police major, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the toll.

Violence has dropped dramatically across Iraq since its peak in 2006 and 2007, though attacks remain common. A total of 177 Iraqis were killed as a result of violence in May, according to official figures.