Dozens die in Baghdad bombings

At least 25 people have been killed in two bombings in Baghdad despite increased security across the capital for the landmark visit of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president. In the deadliest incident on Monday, 21 people were killed when an Iraqi army patrol was hit by a bomb in a parked car in Baghdad's Bab al-Muadham area, police said.

Another four people were killed when a suicide car bomber rammed an Iraqi army checkpoint in Ghadeer in eastern Baghdad. Two soldiers were among the dead in that blast, which destroyed three houses and set several cars ablaze. Another 10 people were wounded.

The bombings occurred despite security being tightened across Baghdad for Ahmadinejad's visit, the first state visit by an Iranian president since the Iran-Iraq war. US military commanders blame the al-Qaeda for most large-scale bombings in Iraq but there was no immediate indication of who was responsible for Monday's bombings or whether they were directly linked to Ahmadinejad's visit.

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