A car bomb near an Iraqi police patrol in eastern Baghdad killed ten people today, a police source said.
Witnesses said the blast destroyed several cars and shook the Zayouneh area, near to the Iraqi Culture Ministry.
Meanwhile clashes have erupted in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul as violence continues following the US assault on Fallujah. The US military had no immediate comment on the clashes, which showed little sign of abating after more than an hour.
A Reuters reporter said residents were staying indoors as small-arms fire rattled and blasts from rocket-propelled grenades shook the city as US helicopters flew overhead.
Mosul, Iraq's third largest city, has seen frequent outbreaks of violence in recent months, including roadside blasts, car bomb attacks and drive-by shootings targetting US troops and Iraqi security forces.
As US forces push on with their offensive against the rebellious city of Falluja, west of Baghdad, there has been a sharp pick-up in violence elsewhere in the country, including attacks in Samarra, Ramadi, Baiji, Baghdad, Baquba and Kerbala.