Twin car bombs exploded outside the Iraqi Interior Ministry Thursday in central Baghdad, killing five Iraqi police and wounding several others, security sources said.

The attacks occurred outside a main entrance to the heavily-fortified institution at about 07:30 AM (04:30 GMT) with the two car bombs blowing up successively with two minutes apart, the sources said.

Witnesses said smoke could be seen rising from the area and ambulances rushed to the scene to take away the casualties.

Since the Jan. 30 landmark elections in Iraq, insurgents bent on undermining the US-backed interim government have launched more violent attacks on official targets, with the deadliest single attack on Monday killing some 125 people.

(Xinhua News Agency March 4, 2005)