10 killed in suicide car bombings in Iraq

At least 10 security personnel were killed and 30 wounded on Tuesday in three suicide car bomb attacks against Iraqi security forces, a provincial security source said.

In the morning, two suicide bombers drove their explosives-laden vehicles into Iraqi troops and allied militias in Sikak district in the city of Baiji, some 200 km north of Iraq's capital Baghdad, the source told Xinhua news agency.

At the same time, a third suicide bomber detonated his booby-trapped vehicle at a security position in the centre of the town, the source said.

Separately, sporadic clashes continued in Iraq's largest oil refinery near Baiji, as the security forces fought to drive Islamic State (IS) militants out of the refinery.

The latest deadly attacks in Baiji came about a week after the security forces and allied militias known as Hashd Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation), with air support from Iraqi and US-led coalition aircraft, cleared most of the town after days of heavy fighting with the extremist militants.

Since March 2, Iraqi security forces and thousands of allied Shia and Sunni militias have been involved in Iraq's biggest offensive to recapture the northern part of Salahuddin province from Islamic State militants.