Six people have been killed and 58 wounded after three suicide car bombs exploded in quick succession at an army base in northern Iraq.
The first car bomb exploded at the entrance to the Sinjar base, used by Iraqi soldiers and border guards, 420km north of Baghdad. Within minutes two more bombs exploded at the same location.
The attacks came as police, struggling to stem a surge in violence, announced they had arrested 11 Al-Qaeda-linked insurgents in connection with a massive bombing in Baghdad that killed 18 people.
At least 650 people have been killed this month in attacks that coincided with the formation of Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari's government.
Meanwhile, a Japanese diplomat in Baghdad has said a body shown in a video, released by an Islamist group linked to al-Qaeda, is probably that of a Japanese security guard who was taken hostage three weeks ago.
In a separate message, al-Qaeda has said that its leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, is in good health, despite reports he had been wounded.
