At least seven people were killed and 10 others wounded in a car bomb and a suicide bomb attacks near Baghdad on Sunday morning, an Interior Ministry source said.

An Iraqi soldier inspects the scene of a car bomb explosion in the predominantly Shiite north Baghdad district of Sadr City on May 22, 2011.
The first blast took place when a car bomb parked on a main road in al-Taji area, some 20 km north of Baghdad, detonated near a U.S. military convoy, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Another explosion followed when a suicide bomber blew up his explosive-vest near Iraqi security forces who rushed to the scene, killing seven people and wounding 10 others, the source said.

Most of the victims were Iraqi security forces, the source added.

There were no immediate reports about any casualty among the U.S. forces, and the U.S. military did not officially confirm the incident yet.

Violence in the country underscore the challenges that the Iraqi security forces are facing as they struggle to restore stability and normalcy in Iraqi cities about eight months before the departure of all American forces by the end of 2011.

VietNamNet/Xinhuanet