Running out of suicide bombers

“Iraq: Blasts kill at least 16 in Baghdad area

At least 16 people have been killed in Iraq in a series of bomb blasts in the Baghdad area, officials say.

Dozens of others were injured in the attacks - mainly roadside or car bombs - which took place during the morning rush hour.

The deadliest attack took place in Taji, north of Baghdad, when a suicide bomber killed at 10 people.

Violence in Iraq has dropped since the height of the insurgency five years ago, but almost daily attacks continue.

Police said there were at least 14 bombs of one sort or another, with five of them apparently aimed at a police station in southern Baghdad while others had no apparent target, the BBC's Jim Muir says.

The attack in Taji took place while policemen were investigating an earlier car bombing. Seven of the 10 fatalities were police officers.

Our correspondent says that violence appears to have increased since the death of Osama Bin Laden in early May, but says that such a spate of explosions in such a short time is highly unusual.”