Two roadside bomb explosions rocked the Iraqi capital on Tuesday morning, wounding 18 people, including seven security members, an Interior Ministry source said.

A roadside bomb struck an Iraqi army patrol while it was passing through Saadoun Street in central Baghdad, injuring four soldiers and six civilians, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. The attack also damaged an army vehicle, several nearby civilian cars and shops, the source said.

Another roadside bomb hit a police patrol near the University of Technology in Karrada district, wounding three policemen and five civilians, the source said.

A police vehicle was also damaged by the blast, he added.

Violence continues in Baghdad despite the fact that the US and Iraqi security forces have staged a security plan in the capital since Feb. 14 aimed at putting rampant violence under control.

(Xinhua News Agency January 29, 2008)