It has been reported that 10 people have been killed in a suicide car bomb attack in Baghdad.
It had earlier been reported that 17 people died but this number has now been revised down.
The blast occurred close to the Oil Ministry and a nearby police academy.
An Iraqi Interior Ministry official said it appeared the bomb exploded prematurely at an intersection in front of the academy.
Most of the dead are believed to have been passers-by.
The blast came as the American Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, arrived in the western Iraqi province of al-Anbar, on an unannounced visit to US soldiers.
Mr Rumsfeld said the US and its allies were engaged in a test of wills with insurgents in Iraq and would have to overcome the ‘pain and ugliness’ of the conflict.
He told them the US was unlikely to cut back on troop numbers until Iraq goes to the polls early next year.
Cease-fire holds in Sadr City
Meanwhile, a cease-fire appears to be holding in the Baghdad district of Sadr City, after fighters loyal to the radical Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr reportedly agreed to disarm.
In an interview with the BBC, Iraq's interim Foreign Minister, Hosyar Zebari welcomed the development.
