Nine Iraqi soldiers have been killed and three others wounded in a suicide car bombing at a checkpoint south of Baghdad.
A suicide bomber drove his car bomb into an army roadblock between Yusufiyah and Mahmudiyah, less than 20km from Baghdad.
The attack came as Iraqi security forces launched 'Operation Lightning' in Baghdad in a bid to stem the wave of insurgent attacks in the capital.
UK soldier dies in south Iraq attack
A British soldier has been killed in a bomb attack against a military convoy in southern Iraq.
Three others were injured when a roadside bomb exploded around 9.50am (local time) as the convoy was driving on the main road near Kahla, near the main city of Basra, where the
bulk of Britain's 8,000 troops are based.
Three people were killed earlier and nine injured in a car bomb attack south of Baghdad.
The blast occured early this morning near a convoy of cars carrying interior ministry commandos.
A policeman was among the casualities.
