Iraq experienced the bloodiest day on Thursday since the historic general elections last month with more than 100 people killed in two suicide bombings.

Some 50 were killed and at least 85 wounded in a suspected suicide bomb blast in Iraq's Shiite holy city of Karbala, some 110km south of Baghdad.

The powerful blast took place among crowd of Shiite Muslim visitors and street vendors in the narrow area between the holy Shiite shrines of Imam Abbas and Imam Hussein.

Shortly afterwards, nearly 70 people were killed and more than 100 wounded when a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a police recruitment center in the western Iraqi town of Ramadi, 110 km west of Baghdad.

Ramadi general hospital has received 50 bodies and 65 wounded, a hospital source told Xinhua.

Taamin hospital said it had received 17 bodies and 40 wounded.

According to US military statement, the explosion occurred at 10:55 AM (07:55 GMT) when approximately 1,000 people were waiting outside the recruitment center at the al-Taamin district in central Ramadi to apply for job.

Two people were killed and two others wounded when a suicide car bomb hit an Iraqi army patrol in central Baghdad on Thursday afternoon.

"A suicide bomber rammed his vehicle to an Iraqi army patrol at about 2:35 PM (11:35 GMT) near al-Khallani mosque, killing a soldier and a civilian and wounding two civilians," an Interior Ministry source told Xinhua.

An army vehicle was badly damaged by the blast, the source added.

Five US soldiers were also killed on Thursday when a roadside bomb went off near their patrol in the Iraqi capital, the US military said.

The latest wave of violence came a day after some 30 people were killed and 36 wounded when a suicide bomb attacked a Shiite Muslim funeral procession northeast of Baghdad.

(Xinhua News Agency January 6, 2006)