DHAKA: At least 10 people were killed and 20 others wounded in twin bombings at a market in a town northeast of Baghdad on Tuesday.

The 10:00am blasts in Saadiyah came a day after a suicide bomb in the nearby town Khanaqin which killed 30 people, with Iraq due to hold its first parliamentary elections on Wednesday since 2010.

Saadiyah lies in eastern Iraq, along a tract of disputed territory that country's autonomous Kurdish region wants to incorporate despite Baghdad's objections.

Militants frequently capitalise on poor communication between Kurdish and Arab security forces in the disputed areas to launch attacks.

Iraq is embroiled in its worst protracted period of bloodshed in years, with nearly 3,000 people killed already this year.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who hails from Iraq's Shiite Arab majority and is accused by critics of monopolising power and targeting minority groups, is seeking a third term in tomorrow's election.

Source: zeenews

BDST: 1531 HRS, APR 29, 2014