Two car bombs exploded near an entrance to Baghdad's fortified green zone today, killing three people and wounding at least 10, security sources said.
The blasts occurred near a security checkpoint at the western entry to the green zone, where government buildings and foreign embassies are located in central Baghdad.
An interior ministry source said the explosions killed three people and wounded 10, including some Iraqi soldiers. A police source put the toll at three dead and 12 wounded.
Baghdad security spokesman Qassim al-Moussawi said the blasts occurred about 150 to 200 metres from the western gate to the green zone, an area frequently targeted by mortar and rocket attacks by insurgents.
"The two cars have burned. They were queuing in a line to enter the green zone," he said. "It's possible they were carrying either roadside bombs or they were packed with explosives and driven by suicide bombers."
Violence has fallen sharply in Iraq in recent years but militants still carry out daily attacks.
Reuters