U.S. military officials in Iraq say a suicide car bombing in Baghdad has killed 12 Iraqis and wounded 13 others.
Iraqi officials say four Iraqi police officers were among the dead. The officials say the bomber detonated the explosives as two police vehicles tried to stop the car he was driving near a facility where U.S. soldiers are based.
Earlier, Iraqi officials said the Education Ministry's cultural affairs officer was shot dead, as he left his home in the capital. Saturday, insurgents assassinated Iraq's deputy foreign minister.
In another development, a source in Iraq close to negotiations for the release of two hostages -- a Turk and an Egyptian -- says the two men have been set free by their captors.
Information for this report is provided by AFP and Reuters.