Police said a total of six explosions were caused by roadside bombs planted near houses belonging to security officers in Baqouba as their families were sleeping. The city, 35 miles (60 kilometers) northeast of Baghdad, is a former stronghold of Al-Qaeda militants.
A medical official in Baqouba hospital confirmed the casualty toll. All the officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.
Iraqi officials have warned of a resurgence of Sunni and Shiite militants and an increase in violence following the US troop withdrawal, which ended last month.
The latest violence comes amid a growing political crisis that erupted after Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki’s government issued an arrest warrant for the country’s top Sunni politician last month.
Al-Maliki’s main political rivals, the Sunni-backed Iraqiya bloc, is boycotting parliament sessions and cabinet meetings in protest of what they say are efforts by the Shiite-led government to consolidate power and marginalize them.
