Twelve people have been killed in two car bomb attacks in the Iraqi towns of Mahmoudiya and Latifiya.
Nine people, including seven policemen, were killed in the Mahmoudiya blast while three people were killed in the explosion in Latifiya.
Some of the 12 victims were travelling on the road from Baghdad to the Shi'ite holy city of Kerbala where hundreds of thousands of pilgrims are gathering for a religious festival.
Violence in Iraq has been increasing recently in the run-up to a 15 October referendum on a new constitution, which Sunni Arabs fear will undermine their influence on the country.
