Checkpoint blasts kill 23 in northern Iraq

KIRKUK, June 9 (AFP): A roadside bomb followed by a suicide bomber detonating an explosives-rigged truck at a police checkpoint in northern Iraq killed 23 people Monday, while four people died in other attacks.

Militants have launched major operations in a swathe of provinces in the past few days, killing scores of people and highlighting both their long reach and the weakness of Iraq's security forces.

Iraq is suffering its worst violence in years, and with none of the myriad problems that contribute to the heightened unrest headed for quick resolutions, the bloodshed is likely to continue unabated.

Local official Shallal Abdul Baban told AFP the Monday blasts at the police checkpoint in Tuz Khurmatu also wounded 115 people and caused "great destruction".

The checkpoint that was targeted was near an office of President Jalal Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) party.

Another suicide car bombing struck an army checkpoint south of the city of Baquba on Monday, killing two soldiers and wounding five, while two more people died in attacks in Baghdad, officials said.