Baghdad area bombings kill at least eight: officials

Bombings targeting security forces in the Baghdad area killed at least eight people and wounded more than 30 on Saturday, security and medical officials said.

A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-rigged vehicle at a checkpoint on the northeastern edge of the city, killing at least seven people and wounding at least 24.

Another car bomb exploded near an army patrol in the Dura area of southern Baghdad, killing at least one person and wounding at least eight.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, but suicide bombings are a hallmark of the Islamic State jihadist group, which also employs car and roadside bombs.

IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led air strikes have since regained significant ground.

The jihadists still control a large part of western Iraq, and are able to carry out frequent bombings in government-held areas.