At least 35 people were killed and 28 others wounded Tuesday in two coordinated bomb attacks on a government building in north of Baghdad, an Interior Ministry source told Xinhua.

The incident took place around midday when a booby-trapped car parked outside the town council building of Taji area, some 20 km north of Baghdad, detonated and caused severe damages to the council building and many police and civilian vehicles, the source said on condition of anonymity.Minutes later, a roadside bomb went off as Iraqi security forces and civilians gathered at the scene of the first blast, the source said.

Many of the casualties in the twin blasts were security members, he said.

Iraqi security forces sealed off the scene as ambulances evacuated the victims to nearby hospitals and medical centers, he added.

The blasts destroyed parts of the council building and a civil defense team are working at the site, removing debris and looking for more victims, the source said.

The attackers apparently used an old tactic which depends on creating a first bomb explosion to attract security forces and people and then sets off another blast to get heavier casualties, the source added.

Violence and sporadic high-profile bomb attacks continue in the Iraqi cities despite the dramatic decrease of violence over the past few years.

VietNamNet/Xinhuanet