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Suicide blasts kill at least four in western Iraq


    RAMADI, Iraq (Reuters) - Two suicide bombings ripped through the heart of Ramadi, a city in western Iraq, on Wednesday, killing at least four people and wounding at least 20, police said.

    Police Colonel Jabbar Ajaj said the first blast occurred in central Ramadi, 100 km (60 miles) west of Baghdad, when an insurgent detonated explosives in a vehicle. Four police officers were killed, along with the suicide attacker, and more than 20 people were wounded, mostly civilians.

    Shortly afterwards a second suicide bomber, this time on foot, detonated an explosive vest nearby. No information was immediately available on the death toll.

    Captain Ahmed al-Alwani put the toll in the first attack at eight people killed, including members of the local police, and 27 wounded.

    Alwani said the second attack targeted the provincial headquarters and that the governor was among the wounded.

    (Reporting by Fadhel al-Badrani and Ali al-Mashhadani; writing by Missy Ryan; editing by Tim Pearce)