A further 11 people have died in violence across Iraq, despite the continuing 'surge' in US troop numbers on the streets of Baghdad.
Eight of those killed died in mortar attacks in al-Madaen, a small town south of the capital.
Two Iraqi police officers were killed when a roadside bomb targeting their patrol exploded on Palestine street in Baghdad.
Another three police officers were wounded in the blast.
In another incident, a civilian bystander was killed when US troops detonated a car bomb they discovered next to the Finance Ministry in the city.
Iraq's senior Sunni politician, Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi, has called for talks with insurgent groups who have been behind the violent attacks in the country since the US-led invasion four years ago.
He also expressed unease about what he described as 'the sectarian nature of the current Iraqi government'.
Mr al-Hashemi said he believed there was no other option but to begin negotiations.
