In one of the deadliest days for US troops since the start of 2004, at least five American soldiers and seven Iraqis were killed on Saturday in a series of bombings and drive-by shootings across Iraq.
The day of violence overshadowed the start of a two-man UN security mission in Iraq and the disclosure from US officials that troops had captured a top al Qaeda operative organising attacks in Iraq.
Three US soldiers were killed and six were wounded when a car bomb exploded at the entrance to an American military installation west of Baghdad, the US Army said.
A spokesman said two of the wounded were evacuated to a nearby field hospital while the others were treated at the scene in Khaldiya town. He said several Iraqis were also wounded in the blast.
Near the tense town of Falluja, 50km west of the Iraqi capital, two American soldiers were killed when a roadside bomb exploded as their convoy passed, US Army said.
The Samarra blast, outside the courthouse and town council buildings and close to the main police headquarters, scattered wrecked cars and broken glass across a wide area.
Bob Silverman, head of governance for the US-led administration in the area, said the bomb went off shortly before councillors were due to elect representatives to the provincial council. The vote would now be delayed a few days.
"I am sure the bomb was meant to prevent the vote," he said.
Military Police officer First Lieutenant Alexis Marks was 100 metres away when the bomb exploded. "The blast knocked me off my feet," she said. "It shook all the vehicles and everyone nearby was thrown to the ground."
A bomb exploded under a car in the heart of Samarra, killing four Iraqis and wounding dozens, while a separate bomb attack on a US convoy killed two soldiers.
US officials said the Samarra bomb was an attempt to derail council elections in the town, 100 km (62 miles) north of Baghdad. Officers said four Iraqis were killed and 40 wounded, including seven US soldiers who were slightly hurt.
They earlier said the blast was caused by a car bomb, but later said it was a device placed on the road under the vehicle.
An Iraqi police officer was killed and another wounded when their patrol pick-up truck came under attack in the northern city of Mosul, local police said.
"Unknown gunmen fired from a car at police driving in a pick-up truck in the al-Wahda district at 11:30 am (0830 GMT)," police Lieutenant Colonel Abdul Azel Hazem told AFP.
"The police shot back. One policeman was killed and a sergeant was wounded. We think the two attackers were also hurt," he added.
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