Twin Iraq Bombings Kill 12, Wound 28

A twin attack involving a car bomb and a suicide bombing outside a bank in the north Iraq city of Tikrit on Thursday killed at least 12 people and wounded 28, a health official said.

"A car bomb exploded outside the al-Rafidain Bank in the centre of Tikrit, and one minute later a suicide bomber exploded his vest as people gathered, killing at least 12 people and wounding 28," said Dr. Raad al-Jubburi, head of the health department in Salaheddin province, of which Tikrit is the capital.

He said that a number of police and soldiers were among the dead and wounded.

A security official in Tikrit confirmed the 12 dead, adding the attack happened at 11:45 am (08:45 GMT).

A witness said that the state-owned bank where the explosion took place is close to the city's wholesale food market, which was crowded with people shopping for the fasting month of Ramadan that begins in early August.

Police cars were roaming the streets, blaring through loudspeakers that the streets were closed to cars, and only pedestrian traffic was allowed.

The violence comes after June was the deadliest month so far this year for the number of Iraqis killed, and the bloodiest in three years for U.S. forces, who lost 14 soldiers in attacks.