A massive truck bomb blast in northern Iraq has killed at least 30 people and wounded 50 others.
Security officials in Tal Afar say the blast was in a predominantly Shi'ite neighborhood. They say many of the victims were women and children.
In the town of Baquba, police reported finding 60 decomposing bodies in an area where al-Qaida in Iraq has been active. Elsewhere in Diyala province, the US military reported four soldiers were killed and 12 wounded in an explosion during a combat operation.
In Baghdad, police say a roadside bomb killed at least nine people in a predominantly Shi'ite neighborhood.
Meanwhile, a US Embassy spokesman says the United States and Iran held "frank and serious" talks in Baghdad on the security situation in Iraq.
An expert-level committee of US, Iranian, and Iraqi officials met for the first time, and then the US and Iranian ambassadors discussed the results of the talks.
Washington and Tehran agreed two weeks ago to establish a committee to discuss efforts to stabilize Iraq. The countries have not had diplomatic relations since 1980.
Iranian news agencies say Iranian officials at today's talks criticized what they called the "suspicious" US approach to security in Iraq.
US officials have accused Iran of supplying weapons and training to Shi'ite militias in Iraq -- a charge Tehran denies. The US military says Shi'ite militias carried out 70 percent of the attacks against US forces in Baghdad last month.
Information for this story is provided by AP.
