A car bomb near a popular restaurant killed four people and wounded 25 in northwestern Baghdad on today, police said.
A few hours later, a suicide car bomber targeting a U.S. military patrol killed three people and wounded 14 in Muqdadiya, 80 km (50 miles) northeast of Baghdad, police said. The US military said it was checking if there were any US casualties.
The explosion near the restaurant in the Shi'ite Baghdad district of Shula occurred while policemen and labourers were eating breakfast. Casualties included police officers and civilians, police said.
The Shi'ite-led Iraqi government declared today a national holiday to show what it said was its solidarity with minority non-Muslim religious groups in Iraq.
Violence has dropped sharply in Iraq, where the US-led invasion in 2003 unleashed years of sectarian and insurgent attacks. However, car bombs, suicide bombings and assassinations are still routine.
A week ago, twin bomb blasts killed 18 people and wounded 53 in central Baghdad.
Reuters