At least eight dead after bombings in Iraq

Iraqi police have said that four bombs killed at least eight people and wounded more than 50 others on Sunday.

Police said a bomb attached to a bicycle exploded in a popular market in the town of Mussayab, about 60 kilometers (38 miles) south of the capital of Baghdad. The blast killed at least five people and wounded 37 others.

Meanwhile, police in Ramadi, 100 kilometers (32 miles) west of the capital, reported that two bombs exploded minutes apart, killing two and wounding four others.

A fourth bomb attached to a bus detonated as it approached a police checkpoint in the Shi'ite Muslim holy city of Karbala. The blast killed at least one person and wounded at least a dozen others. No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Two powerful car bombings one week ago in Baghdad targeted Iraq's Ministry of Justice and a provincial government building, killing 155 people and wounding more than 500 others. An al-Qaeda-linked group claimed responsibility for those attacks.

Violence in Iraq has dropped significantly in the past year. However, officials have warned that attacks could rise ahead of elections in January.