Guerrillas killed nine people in a car bomb blast outside a police station in the Iraqi city of Mosul today, and a separate attack on a US convoy north of Baghdad killed three American soldiers.
Police and hospital officials in Mosul, 390 km north of Baghdad, said 44 people were also wounded in the car bomb attack.
Thick smoke billowed from blazing vehicles after the blast, which shattered windows in a wide area.
Major Hugh Cate, spokesman for the 101st Airborne Division in Mosul, said there were no US casualties.
"Iraqi fire and rescue teams are on site. US personnel are on site to assist as required," he said.
The US military said three US soldiers were killed when a roadside bomb blew up next to a convoy travelling between Kirkuk and Tikrit, ousted leader Saddam Hussein's hometown 175 km north of Baghdad.
Major Josslyn Aberle said the attack involved soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division and occurred southwest of Kirkuk.
The deaths brought to 364 the number of US soldiers killed in action since the start of the Iraq war last March. Including non-combat deaths, the toll is 522.
The attacks came on the eve of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. Guerrillas have often struck on significant dates - a car bomb destroyed a Baghdad restaurant on New Year's Eve, killing eight, and on October 27th, the first day of Ramadan, co-ordinated suicide attacks in Baghdad killed at least 35.