BAGHDAD - At least eight people were killed and dozens more wounded when a car bomb exploded in the centre of the Iraqi capital on Wednesday as British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was visiting, officials said.
A car parked outside a traffic police post in the Munstansariyah district exploded at around 11:15 am (0815 GMT), a defence ministry source said, giving a toll of eight dead and 43 wounded.
The US military confirmed an attack in the area and gave the same toll.
Traffic police chief Mehdi Hamid Khalaf, who was wounded in the face and hand, said a colleague in charge of accounts was among those killed in the blast and that 12 other policemen were among the wounded.
The traffic police run a three-storey building in the residential area, drawing hundreds of people each day to pay their fines.
Security forces continue to be the target of attacks by insurgents in Iraq despite an overall decline in violence in the country this year.
"First a small bomb went off that caused no casualties but drew passers-by to the car parked a bit further up. A few minutes later, it exploded," Khalaf told AFP.
The facades of three apartment blocks were blown in by the force of the blast, while the pavement was left splattered with blood stains, broken glass and metal parts from wrecked cars.
"This terrorist action targeted us because we are always fighting against illegal activities, and the terrorists don't like that," said Khalaf.
Local residents, however, complained that the police had not taken the necessary precautions to protect them despite warnings that the post was an easy target.
"My house was destroyed due to the negligence of police. They never put up any security barrier or prevented cars from parking," said Adnan Mohammed, 25. Butcher Sami Mustapha said the police post should be moved out of the area.