<p>The two blasts went off within minutes of each other in the city's crowded al-Karkh area. One of the cars had been parked near the government office where identity cards and passports are issued, while the other had stood alongside a branch of the Iraqi Commercial Bank.<br /><br />The government office was open for business Sunday, with many people inside the building.<br />Members of the Iraqi police force were among those killed in the blasts, security sources said.<br /><br />The death toll is likely to rise given the severity of the injuries suffered by some victims, sources added.<br /><br />Iraqi security forces cordoned off the area, while ambulances transferred the injured to a nearby hospital.</p>
<p>The two blasts went off within minutes of each other in the city's crowded al-Karkh area. One of the cars had been parked near the government office where identity cards and passports are issued, while the other had stood alongside a branch of the Iraqi Commercial Bank.<br /><br />The government office was open for business Sunday, with many people inside the building.<br />Members of the Iraqi police force were among those killed in the blasts, security sources said.<br /><br />The death toll is likely to rise given the severity of the injuries suffered by some victims, sources added.<br /><br />Iraqi security forces cordoned off the area, while ambulances transferred the injured to a nearby hospital.</p>