According to officials a chain of blasts rocked the city of Baghdad early morning today. The attacks were targeted at security officials and police.

The biggest blast occurred in a highly Shi'ite populated area of Karradah amid morning rush hour. Nine people were killed and 24 others were wounded in that explosion. The explosion was huge and damaged the buildings and windows nearby, the police said.

After Karradah, at least four more bombings were reported in the city. Earlier on Wednesday, police said gunmen with silenced pistols killed six policemen at a drive-by shooting at a security checkpoint in a Sunni area in northern Baghdad.

Officials at nearby hospitals confirmed the casualties. All spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.