Ten killed in bomb blasts outside Baghdad

A number of bomb blasts hit areas outside the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Wednesday, killing at least 10 people.

The deadliest attack targeted the town of Latifiyah, 20 miles [30 kilometres] south of Baghdad, where a suicide bomber struck an army checkpoint, killing four civilians and three soldiers. Police said 11 others were wounded.

Three more civilians were killed and 12 wounded in a bomb explosion at an outdoor market in Baghdad's southeast suburb of Nahrawan, police said.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks but Islamic State militants have been linked to a series of recent attacks around the Iraqi capital.

Last month, Baghdad was target of a deadly attack after when an IS suicide bomber struck shoppers in Baghdad's central Karrada district, killing 292 people.

Just days later, 40 others were killed during an attack on a Shia shrine in Balad, north of the capital.

Since late last year, IS has suffered a string of territorial losses, most recently last month in Fallujah, where it was driven out by Iraqi forces after occupying the city for more than two years.

But in response to the losses IS carries out near-daily bombings in and around Baghdad.