Three Iraqis were killed and 29 others wounded as two makeshift bombs went off successively in a crowded market in central Baghdad on Tuesday, an Interior Ministry source told Xinhua.

"Our final reports said that three civilians were killed and 29 people wounded, including six policemen, in two bombings in the Bab al-Sharji area," the source said on condition of anonymity.

Earlier, police sources said that at least seven people were killed and about 20 others wounded.

The blasts occurred when a first bomb detonated near a kiosk selling CDs in the al-Haraj popular market in the Bab al-Sharji area, wounding several, said the source, adding that minutes later a second bomb went off after a police patrol reached the scene, causing more casualties.

Insurgents frequently target Iraqi police and have used successive bombings to maximize the casualties.

U.S. forces and the Iraqi interim government have expected a rise of violence after the final results of the Dec. 15 general elections were announced last month, which showed Shiites remained the largest bloc in the new parliament.

Source: Xinhua