Twin Christmas Day blasts in Baghdad kill many

Baghdad: At least four people were killed and 25 were wounded by a bomb near a popular restaurant in northwestern Baghdad on Christmas Day, police said.

The explosion in the Shiite district of Shula occurred while policemen and labourers were eating breakfast.

The casualties included both policemen and civilians, police said.

A few hours later, a suicide car bomber targeting a US military patrol killed three people and wounded 14 in Muqdadiya, 80 km northeast of Baghdad, police said. The US military said it was checking if there were any US casualities.

Thursday was declared as a national holiday by the Shiite government to show solidarity with other religious groups in Iraq.